Mending Clipped Wings
by Z. Angaros
Summary: She was found by accident, Taken in on a whim & watched by many. A handful of people took interest in her for varying reasons during the meeting of the remaining Warlords, this enigmatic girl who had no memory of who she was. Her life will be in the hands of these people but her future will be molded by only one of them.
1. Day 1

**A/N: Doing something a little different here. This story doesn't have a set pairing because I'd like you, the reader, to play a part in this decision. The OC, Coracias, will interact w/ multiple canon characters here & I'd like you all to tell me what pairing you like best & would like to see become official. **

**The setting of this story is at the new world marine headquarters & it takes place during the time skip. At this time Buggy & Law are both Shichibukai & Akainu (Sakazuki) is the Fleet Admiral.**

Footsteps echoed in the massive hallway, the heels to Law's boots clacked against the tile as he made his way through the winding corridors of the marine base. He did not like being here, more so because it was the headquarters for the whole damn organization but still he was here. He had to maintain his appearance of being a loyal government dog, for however long it took he would play this patient game till he got what he wanted. Behind him a pattering sound caught his attention and he knew that damn stubborn girl was following him again, he turned around abruptly and caught sight of her just as she hid behind a pillar. "Come out, I know you're there." He said with a sigh.

The girl peeked out, the nice man had a stern look on his face again. She inched away from her hiding spot, fidgeting with the hem of her short kimono in nervousness.

"I told you to stay on the sub." He said in a bland tone as he waved her over.

Seeing him calling her over put a wide smile on her face and she ran to him happily, she knew she wasn't supposed to follow him in here but she hated being cooped up in that submarine and this place was so big and clean. She didn't remember seeing anything like it before.

As she ran up to him he lifted the end of his katana and gave her a solid tap to the top of her head. "Baka." What was she doing looking happy like that when she knows she's in trouble. "You're not supposed to be here; this is a meeting for the Warlords." He scolded her with a frown. "Go back to the sub."

She pouted a bit and brought up her hands, fingers moving and forming into hand signs to say 'I'm sorry'…

"Stop." He interrupted her. "I don't know sign language; I keep telling you to use your notepad." He pointed to the pad hanging on her hip with a pencil dangling from a string, the girl wasn't deaf but for some reason she wouldn't talk. He had taken her on as a patient when he found her stowed away on his sub but so far he had no real answers as to what her ailment was or why the hell she was on his ship. He had run every test he could think of but there is no medical reason for her not to speak, he could only assume she chose not to and when he asked why she had gotten on board she simply replied with 'I was lost'… the thought of that whole ordeal still gave him a headache. To be honest he really knew nothing about her, even her age. He called her a girl but she looked to be at least his age if not older... but she acted like such a damn child! It was aggravating to no end.

She frowned a little and did as she was told, scratching her words down with a little pout. She hated using this to communicate because it took too long, in her opinion. _'_ _Liar, I taught you words'_

"Well, I don't feel like trying to have a broken conversation with you." It was true, he did know some sign language but not nearly enough to hold a proper conversation. Perhaps while he was here he'd take advantage of the marine resources and search their library for books on the subject but that could be done after this meeting. "Now go back."

 _'_ _I can't, I'll get lost. Just let me go with.'_ She replied with a pleading look.

He gave a groan and rubbed the bridge of his nose, he didn't doubt that she would get lost. He had never met someone with a worse sense of direction than this girl, she could lose her way even if she had a map with detailed instructions. "Fine, whatever. You'll just have to wait outside." He turned back around and continued his walk to the meeting room, he just hoped it would get over soon and with any luck at all _that man_ would not show up.

She smiled again and skipped forward till she could walk beside him, taking his hand in hers happily.

He tried to shake her off, he hated when she did this. She was such a touchy feely person and it drove him nuts.

"Gyahahahaha! Don't you two look cute." A mocking voice came up from behind them.

Law let out a few mumbled curses as he kept shaking his arm to get the girl detached, he turned slightly and glared at the joke of a Shichibukai. "I'm surprised to see you're already here Buggy-ya, shouldn't you be hiding under a rock somewhere?"

The girl released the nice man's arm and hid behind him as the other person walked up, she didn't like his face. Not at all.

Buggy gave a growl at that, this kid was creepy and didn't have many fans. The way he became a Warlord by collecting all those hearts still gave him the willies, still he put on a big grin. He didn't want this little brat thinking he was scared of him. "How flashy of you to bring your little pet to our meeting." He walked past the two laughing loudly, which was meant to hide the fact that he wanted to get away from this kid as soon as possible.

He let out an agitated sigh as he let the clown pass, he wasn't in the mood to deal with him. The doorway to the meeting room was just ahead, he wanted to get this over with and not linger any longer than he had to. Now if he could get this girl to let go that would be novel.

Soon he was standing in front of the door and gave her a final shake which broke her hold, he really debated on using his Op-Op ability to separate her damn arms. "Stay. Here." He said sternly as he pointed to a spot on the floor for her to sit, he noted as she looked at it blankly and turned his back to her. Please just let this damn thing get over with soon.

"What do you mean I have to wait!"

From inside he heard the clown's shrieking little whine and already a headache was forming, this didn't bode well at all. He swung the door in and made his entrance, sure enough… none of the other warlords had arrived yet. Typical.

"Quit your whining."

Law looked up and saw that it was the old marine woman Tsuru and she did not look amused, behind her the brand new Fleet Admiral was standing with his back to everyone. No doubt he was in a foul mood but his reasoning could be something as simple as 'he woke up'. "How much longer till we give up waiting on the others to show?" He asked in a bland tone, it was a miracle the buggy was even around and the only reason he, personally, showed up was because he happened to be close by and wanted to keep up to date on what the marines were planning.

"We will wait." Sakazuki spoke with a grumble. "Until every last warlord is present, even if it takes weeks for you degenerates to obey orders." He turned slightly with another low growl eyeing the freshly appointed Shichibukai. "Or do you need to be reminded of who you work for?"

The younger man gave a scowl. "I'm here, aren't I?"

The old woman arched her brow. "Being here and following orders isn't the same Trafalgar. You know full well you aren't allowed to bring members of your crew here, they are to remain on your ship while you are here at headquarters."

"What?" He followed the woman's gaze and turned to see a certain girl with carmine hair hiding behind him. "What the hell are you doing?!" He yelled at her as he turned around and gave her a glare. "I told you to wait in the hallway!"

"Gyahahaha! Your pet needs better training Law." Buggy gave a challenging grin, now that he was around these officers they'd keep Law from attacking him. "I have a good trainer on my ship, I'm certain Mohji could get her broken in for you in a flashy way. Gyahahahaha!"

Law shot the clown a look of sheer death, he was certainly acting big now that there were others around. "She is not my pet and most certainly not a member of my crew." He grabbed her head and pushed her forward. "She's a patient that doesn't know how to listen, now apologize!" He forced her head down into a bow. He had to make sure he didn't press his luck; she really was causing him trouble.

The girl gave teary eyed pout; she didn't mean to get the nice man in trouble. She signed the words ' _I'm sorry, I'm sorry_ ' repeatedly as she bowed her head, she just wanted to see what the room looked like.

"Note. Book." He scolded her again and emphasized each word with a whack to her head from the end of his katana.

Sakazuki watched the girl, she wasn't dressed like one of Law's crew with that short floral pattern kimono she had on but that didn't omit her from being a pirate. She was either bold or stupid to wander in here but the fact that she did so without being noticed was impressive enough. He watched her scribble onto a notebook and hold it up, the words 'Very Sorry, Please forgive' written in large enough script for them all to read it… He'd have her watched, if she wasn't a member of his crew but still some form of pirate then he'd get rid of her here and now to save from future issues. If she was an innocent he'd have her taken away before these pirates could taint another with their corruption.

Tsuru eyed the girl, she seemed almost childish with the way she was acting. "If she needs medical attention then we will care for her, if she is not a pirate than her needs can be handled by us."

"I doubt you all could do anything and I assure you I'm a better doctor than any on staff here." He pulled the girl back behind him. "I found her on an Island that was recently attacked, she lost her memory and can't speak. If you want to be of help then see if you can locate family so I can get rid of her, until then I will continue handling her medical needs." He didn't like the idea of handing her over, no matter how much of a pain in the ass she was. The girl was too trusting and impressionable, he didn't doubt they'd take advantage of her in some form.

The Admiral glared at the boy, defiant brat was going to cause him trouble one day. He knew it. "You'll have to think of a better excuse to keep your lover with you Law, return her to your ship. You and the other warlords will be staying here until everyone has arrived." It was uncharacteristic of that boy to care about others, this 'surgeon of death'… there was no reason to take a stray under his wing like this, if she wasn't a member of his crew then that was the only other explanation.

"Tch!" Law spat in annoyance. "She is not my lover and you're welcome to escort her yourself." He stepped sideways and held out his arm as if to present the girl to them. "She'll just break back in anyways." He added in a 'matter of fact' tone. It was the truth; he didn't know how but this girl could be sneaky as hell. "Where is my room." He didn't currently care what happened right now, he knew if she was taken away then she'll find her way back to him like always. He didn't know how the hell one person could have the worst sense of direction yet be able to find him no matter where he was.

The old woman gave a sigh, stubborn boy. "Akainu, let her stay. I'll handle her care and take responsibility if she causes issues."

Sakazuki looked down to the woman, he didn't doubt she had some reason for volunteering… he let out a grumbling sigh. "Do as you please." He at least trusted her enough that nothing she would do would be against him or the navy. The girl seemed to be a triviality anyways and not worth too much thought. "There will be an officer outside, he will escort you to an area where you Shichibukai can wait for your… colleagues." With that he turned away and lit a cigar, damn pirates were already making this difficult.

The girl shied away and hid behind the nice man… Law, his name was Law. It was the first time she had heard it. Everyone on his ship called him Captain so she never knew what to call him other than 'nice man'. She wished he would be nicer though; she didn't want to go with the old lady but he wasn't stopping them. Did that mean she could trust them?

"Go with them." He eyed the girl that was now cowering behind him, "She'll take care of you." He grabbed the girls arm and shoved her forward then directed his eyes to the old woman. "Return her to me when you get her cleaned up, a change of clothes would be nice."

The girl pouted and grabbed his arm, not wanting to go.

"Let go damn it!" He shook her off with a grumble. "Just go with her, I need some time without you skulking behind me!"

Tsuru walked up and put a hand on the girl's shoulder. "Come with me." She seemed clean enough so she at least had the chance to bathe but the clothes were definitely in need of a wash. "What's your name?" Aside from her outfit she appeared to be in good health, well fed and all that. This pirate seemed to take good care of her.

"She doesn't have one." Law answered the old woman as he turned away and gave a glare to the clown as he was stomping past, he just hoped the other warlords would show up so he could leave as soon as possible. He didn't enjoy the thought of having to be here when that man arrived… "She answers to 'girl' so I left it at that." He finished the statement and disappeared out the door.

She reached out and grabbed at the air where he was just standing but he was already gone, her lips formed into a pout. He didn't have to leave so quickly…

"Knock that look off your face." Tsuru scolded the girl. "Have more confidence in yourself, now come along and let's get you respectable." She put a hand on the girl's shoulder and urged her out the door, despite what the boy said she would have the Marine medics look her over. She shot a glance backwards, the Admiral still had his back turned. Seemed like he was done caring about this situation. She led the girl through the halls, there was no denying she was scared. Kept looking around for Law more than likely but there was no way he'd be on this side of the facility; this was where the officer's personal quarters were.

It took them a little bit but they finally reached their destination, Tsuru led her into a large bath house for the female officers. For this entire walk she had remained silent and the girl complacent to follow and obey, she watched her though. This girl had inquisitive eyes and was constantly shifting her attention to everything around them. "Get undressed, there's plenty of bath products for you to use. I'll have an officer bring you a spare uniform to use till your clothes can be washed."

The girl nodded, this was kinda interesting. She never remembered being in such a large bath area before and it smelt so interesting with different kinds of soaps and perfumes wafting in the air. She smiled a little as she untied her obi, the thought of having clean clothes was a wonderful idea as well.

The old woman stood off to the side, speaking to a lady attendant as the girl prepped herself. She wondered about those clothes, they did not seem cheaply made so how did this no name child come to own them? She could have stolen them perhaps but they also appeared to be tailored to the girl's form… a flutter caught her attention. She focused on something falling from the girl's kimono as it became loose, what was that?

She saw it falling, reaching out the girl tried to catch it and ended up juggling it a few times instead before she grasped on to it completely. She breathed a sigh of relief as she held it to her chest, this little thing was the only treasure she had…

"What is that?" Tsuru eyed the thing in the girl's hand, she dove and clutched at it like it was desperately important. It must have been hidden inside her obi but what how important could something so small be to fear losing it that badly?

The girl gave a start; the old lady saw it. Her treasure. With a frown she took a deep breath, it would be ok. She wouldn't take her treasure… she wouldn't. With hesitancy she held it out for the woman to look at, Law had her go with this woman so she could trust her… right?

She arched a brow as she stepped closer to the girl, the thing in her hands was small and in what looked like a thin plastic case to keep it from being damaged but still light enough to not be a burden while being kept hidden. What could possibly be so important… A picture? The old woman made a 'hmm' sound as she inspected the photograph, it didn't seem terribly old… "May I?" She asked as she held out her hand.

The girl shied away a little and took up her notebook with a worried expression. _'_ _You'll be careful? It's special.'_ In truth it was all she really had that meant anything to her.

"Of course." Tsuru reassured the girl, it took a moment more of the girl staring at her with pleading eyes before she finally handed it over. Upon inspection she could see that the girl was in the photo… but not alone. Beside her stood a taller woman, older and with glasses… The physical traits between the two could been they are related but what really struck her was the other woman looked to be wearing a type of Marine outfit. "Who is this?"

She shrugged at the question, she often wondered herself but no matter how hard she tried she could not remember who that woman was. It must have been someone special because she was smiling so brightly in the photo and the woman was holding her hand affectionately… Whoever it was must have cared for her…

The woman turned the picture over, there was a paper backing that moved slightly as the picture shifted… perhaps… she opened the protective cover and slid out the picture. Just as she thought. "There's writing on the back."

The girl's eyes got wide and she moved to the woman's side to peer over her shoulder in curiosity.

"You never thought to look at the back?"

She shook her head; it had always been with her just as it was. Wrapped in that plastic and stuck in her Obi… She remembered the day clearly, the day she woke up that is. She was in a town that was burning, blood running from her head… mindlessly her hand went to the scar on her temple that was hidden in her hair now… the nice man, Law… He said that blow was most likely what stole her memory. She found that picture when she undressed, if she had it hidden then it had to be important but she just couldn't remember why or who that other woman was in the photo. She just knew that it had to mean that she was missed by someone… didn't it?

The handwriting was elegant and carefully scripted onto the back of the photo with a date… it, apparently, was three years old… "Coracias Kuren, age 23… Kite Kuren, age 32…" She read it out loud as she turned the photo back over, it was apparent that this girl was not older than the woman in the picture so… "Your name is Coracias."

The girl blinked as she took the photo back, she stared at the words… the name. It felt… right to be called that name. Coracias… Coracias… She smiled, a large grin that stretched from ear to ear. This was her name… and to think, it was with her and waiting to be discovered this entire time. She clapped her hands and jumped up and down to express her excitement, this was truly an amazing day! Coming to this base was the best thing she could have ever done!

Tsuru smirked a little, what a feeling that must be. To rediscover your own name. "Coracias, will you loan me that picture for a little while?"

She stopped jumping about when that question registered, she held the photo to her chest protectively for a moment before taking up her notebook. _'_ _Will you take care of it?'_

"Of course. I'll return it when I bring you back your clothes." That would give her enough time to do what she needed to with it.

Coracias sighed a little, it should be alright… She scribbled onto her notebook then held up her pinky to the old woman, her other hand holding up the note that read _'_ _Promise.'_

The woman frowned, she did not want to partake it something so childish but it couldn't be helped. "Very well." She wrapped her own wrinkled pinky around the other to reassure her. "I promise to return it to you."

The girl gave an approving nod and handed the picture back with a smile.

Tsuru took it and returned the photo to the plastic case, without the backing though. "Go on into the bath, the attendants will see to your needs here, after you are cleaned they will take you to the infirmary to get checked up… then, you can go back to Trafalgar if you wish." She did not like the idea of this girl being roomed with him but considering they had been traveling together up until now it was safe to assume their relationship, if any, would have been established long before today.

 _'_ _Yes, please. Thank you.'_ She wrote with a smile before she turned away to finish undressing. Perhaps, the nice woman would be able to find the other person in that photo… Kite. That name made her feel warm inside… she just knew that that person had to be special to her… she had to.

With that the woman left the girl to clean up, her footsteps falling lightly as she made her stops here and there. The records office will look through and find if this 'Kite' woman was ever a Marine as her attire suggests as well as make a few copies of this photo; she did not want to keep handing it around or expect the girl to come off it whenever they had an inquiry concerning it. By the time she found her way back to the Fleet Admiral's office she was certain the girl should have been finishing up with the medical team shortly. She gave knock on the door to announce herself before walking in, Akainu was sitting at his desk and she wasn't surprised to see Kizaru reclining in a chair close by.

"Oooooh." Borsalino gave a lazy smile. "Hello there Great Staff Tsuru Neeee."

Sakazuki looked up from the paper he was reading, not expecting to see her again after leading that girl away. "What is it you need Vice Admiral?" He returned his attention to the paper without offering up a greeting, if she had comeback then it could only really mean one thing.

"I wanted to show you something." She held up a copy of the photo for him to see. "I got it from the girl, she had been keeping it hidden and I doubt even Trafalgar has seen it yet." She set the photo down onto his desk and slid it towards him before crossing her arms in front of her.

He eyed the picture with a frown, finally setting down his paper as he lit a cigar. "Who is the other woman? A marine?"

"Not sure." Tsuru answered with a frown. "I have some men checking into it for me and they will contact me if any information is found. So far all we have to go on are the names of the girl and that woman."

Borsalino let curiosity get the better of him and he relocated his seat to the edge of Akainu's desk, taking the photo and eyeing it half-heartedly. "Oooooh what a cute pair of girls, which one is here?" He had heard about Law's little companion but he missed out on it since he showed up late.

"The younger of the two." She replied. "The girl's name is Coracias, family name Kuren. The other woman is named Kite with the same surname. Outside of that there is no other information concerning their identity."

Kizaru gave a little hum as he held his chin. "They must be nobles of some sort." He noted the state of the home the two girls were standing in front of, it was much too nice to belong to an everyday person. "Surely someone is missing her." Both of the girls in the picture seemed healthy, the younger having a large smile on her face as she held the hand to the other. Both of them having large birds perched on them, a pet like that wouldn't be cheap to care for either.

Tsuru shook her head. "She has been sailing with Trafalgar for nearly four weeks, plenty of time for her to be reported missing if she had been abducted. As of now she is nothing more than his patient but I'm going to look into his claims that he found her on an island recently attacked. It could be that she was never reported missing because she is the only survivor."

Sakazuki gave a grunt as he took the photo from the Admiral, eyeing it more carefully than before. Neither of them had a look of being nobles, most were pompous asses that lorded their titles over the common people. That girl's smile seemed to innocent for that… He gave a grumble and set the picture down on his desk. "Don't waste too many resources on her, if she really is what Law claims her to be then we can remove the girl from his care. We don't need to allow him allies that could possibly be connected to nobles.

The old woman gave a nod. "I'm going to get back to her now, I'll keep you informed on if anything is discovered. I have copies of the photo so you can keep that one."

"I have no use for it." He turned away and picked his paper back up.

Borsalino chuckled as he watched the woman leave then picked up the photo. "If you don't want it do you mind if I keep it?"

Sakazuki gave the other man a stern look, what could he possibly want it for.

"Oooooh, what a scary look Sakazuki-kun." He teased as he gave the photo a little wave. "I'm just going to use it so I can remember her face, you know how forgetful I can be sometimes."

"Do as you please." He stated plainly, returning his attention to the paper. He just wanted to get back to a nice quite afternoon, with any luck at all the other warlords would arrive in a timely fashion so the day to day could get back to normal without the added stress from the Shichibukai lurking about.

 **To Be Continued…**

 **A/N: Alright folks, that's the first day. Coracias will start interacting with her possible paramours more in the following chapters, let me know what you think!**


	2. Day 2

Morning again, Law turned the page to the book he borrowed from the Marine's library as he took occasional sips from the coffee the girl had prepared. As usual she woke up long before him, he was mildly amazed that she could stay so perky throughout the day when she rose before the damn sun but he didn't complain too much since it meant he always had coffee waiting for him when he got up… What he did complain about, however, was the fact he had to deal with the damn Marines first thing in the morning because she ran off to find the kitchen and found herself in the men's living quarters instead. What made it worse was she was wearing one of their uniforms now because her normal clothes were being cleaned. It was weird seeing her dressed like that…

He gave her a sideways glance; she was beside him as usual. She sat sideward with her feet up on the couch and knees drawn up to use as a support for her notebook. She was drawing in it again, he had to admit she had quite the talent for it… he returned his attention to the book in his hands. He did not have much experience in dealing with cases of amnesia, he hoped this book would help him to understand… but it was still difficult. He couldn't even be sure what it was that caused her to lose her memory, a combination of the head trauma and something she might have seen during the attack perhaps… and that's assuming she even had any memories before those two incidents…

He sighed a little at his predicament… how should he handle it… Suddenly the book in his lap was covered by the girl's head as she stared up at him with that stupid grin of hers. "The hell are you doing?!" He exclaimed with a growl, she had no sense of personal boundaries.

She smiled brightly and showed him the drawing she had just finished.

"Eh?" He focused on the picture… of him. She had drawn him reading but… "Why did you draw me smiling?" He knew damn well he hadn't been.

She turned the picture around and wrote a little note in the corner then showed it to him once again, still smiling up to him. _'_ _I like it when you smile.'_

He blushed a little, did she have to look at him like that when saying such a thing. "Baka…" He put a hand over her eyes, he really couldn't stand how she looked at him like that.

"Ooooooh, how cute Law neeeee."

The sudden voice made him jump and he looked up to see the Admirals Kizaru and Akainu at the doorway to this common area. "Tch! What do you two want." He gave the girl a push to shove her off of his lap.

She flailed a little with a panicked expression before she fell to the ground at his feet, the notebook landing on her head. Her eyes got teary as she rubbed her now sore butt, that was so mean of him!

Borsalino chuckled as he walked up to the couch, the girl now kneeling in front of Law while hitting his chest with her balled up fists. "I just wanted to check on our guest, I didn't get to meet her." He gave her a lazy smile. "So you're Cora-Chan."

Law winced at that name, he didn't like it. He didn't like how her name was so similar to Cora-san's… She was so excited about it when she came back to him last night but he couldn't share in her euphoria, what were the odds…

She turned to the tall man, nodding with a pout. She liked laying on his lap but he always pushed her off when somebody came by.

"Oooooh there's no need to look like that little Hana." He held out his hand to help her up.

She tilted her head to the side in confusion put took his hand anyways, why did he call her a flower?

Sakazuki watched the exchange, Borsalino was wiping away her tears now while she still had that damn childish pout on her face. "Mihawk will be arriving later this afternoon." He said flatly, it was annoying having to wait on them to take their leisurely time on being summoned. They had still not heard anything from that spoiled snake princess but he already sent a Vice Admiral to forcibly make her attend if need be.

Borsalino smiled at the girl, she was being rather adorable with that silent laugh of hers as he cleaned off her face. "There you go little Hana neeee."

She continued to smile, this man seemed nice and she liked it. She started signing her appreciation but felt another whack to the top of her head.

"Note. Book." Law scolded her again, he reached up and grabbed her arm to yank her back down onto the couch. He didn't like the attention the Admiral was giving her, there was no telling what they were planning. "Any word from the other warlords?"

The yellow clad Admiral picked up the notebook that had fallen to the floor, the drawing of Law was on the front page. "Oooooh did you do this Hana?" He flipped through it, some pages had writing on it from her notes but others were drawings. "How talented neeeeee, look Sakazuki-kun…" He held up picture a few pages behind the one of Law. "She made you look less scary."

The other man eyed the drawing being held up, she was indeed talented to have drawn a picture of him after only seeing him once… He gave a grunt and turned away, but talented or not he was still wary of her. "Let's go." He only really came down here to check on Law and the girl, he had been told she had found her way into the men's quarters but appeared to be only an accident.

"Hey!" Law called out. "Are you going to answer me?" He hated it when they ignored him.

"Ooooh don't worry Law, I'll come tell you if we hear anything else." He gave the girl a pat. "As long as it means I'll get to see little Hana again."

She smiled at him again, a thought coming to her as she grabbed her notebook and wrote it in hurriedly _"_ _Will you have coffee with us?"_

The Fleet Admiral scoffed as he continued to walk away. "I don't drink with pirates."

Borsalino gave a wave as he followed the other man out. "Another time Hana neeee."

Law just grumbled to himself, he couldn't wait for this to be done and over with so he could get back to his own tasks.

The girl scooted closer to Law so she could snuggle up to him, notebook in hand.

"What are you doing now?" He said with a sigh, it was too early to deal with her clinginess.

 _"_ _Why do they hate pirates so much? Don't you work together?"_ She didn't understand it at all, she kept hearing the Marines talk bad about Law and the scary clown faced one. Then the nice man's own crew had said mean thing about the Marines before they showed up here… Why was it that everyone was so mad at each other for?

He patted her head, she really had no idea how the world worked. Such a soft hearted girl that wanted everyone to smile as carefree as she did… "Don't worry about it Cora-ya…" He turned his attention back to the book he borrowed, did he really want to look into this more? Would not helping her to get her memory back really be such a bad thing? She might have been a pain in the ass right now but not knowing about how terrible the world was is almost a blessing… he sighed again, but living in ignorance would just mean she'd be easier to manipulate by people that would use her. "Why don't you go relax in the room, I have some more research I'd like to do."

She gave a pout. _"_ _I want to stay with you."_

"Why do you always argue." He rubbed his brow, it was really too early for this. "Just go to the room and stay out of trouble for once."

She stomped her feet lightly to show protest but did what he asked anyways, he was always so nice to her so the right thing to do would be to listen to him… this time. With a final pout she stood up, now… which way to the rooms…

Sakazuki stared out at the headquarters below him, exhaling large clouds of smoke from his cigar as his eyes caught sight of Marines running about across the way to accomplish some task. It took a while to move the whole base to the new world and there was still plenty of things needing done… hm? Something floated past his face, then there was another… flower petals?

He leaned out onto the ledge of the balcony and looked up to see where the petals were coming from… The hell?!

Coracias was hanging over the edge of the balcony, she had seen the smoke rising from below her and leaned out to see who it was. She had only been able to see the top of his hat though which is why she took from flowers from a pot in the hallway to get the person's attention. She waved happily as she saw it was the other Admiral person that was with the nice one from before, she hadn't gotten to talk with this one much and she was kind of curious about him.

"Why are you wandering around on your own? Where is Law?" He growled, he didn't like the idea of her roaming about. There was still no telling if she was trying to spy or what the hell she was doing.

She tossed the rest of the flowers away and swung her legs over the edge of the balcony, she wanted to go to the floor below but she knew if she tried to find her way there she'd get lost… like she did before when Law told her to go back to the room.

What was she doing? Sakazuki watched her as she lowered herself down by gripping onto the balustrades, was she trying to get down to his balcony? She'd end up falling right past him…

She dangled there for a moment then began to swing her legs back and forth, she wasn't exactly sure what she was doing but she was pretty sure she could swing herself to the area below if she let go at the right moment… hopefully that is.

He watched her start to swing, so that's what her plan was. She had deceptively strong upper body strength to be able to hold on while doing that and how would she even know… He took a step back as she let go, she managed to fall onto his balcony but the landing was far from impressive as her behind took the brunt of the fall.

She kicked and rolled with teary eyed expression as she rubbed her butt to get the pain to go away, it hurt it hurt it hurt!

"What the hell are you doing." He glared down at her as she flailed about on the ground, he noticed a bag on her back that was clinking as she moved. Did she have weapons in there now?

She stood up and brushed herself off with a pout, that didn't go as well as she was hoping it would. She pulled out her notebook and flipped through the pages till she found the picture of the nice Admiral from before and showed it to the man.

He arched a brow. "You're looking for Borsalino… He's not here."

Another pout, she wanted to ask him questions but perhaps this one would know the answers. She turned to a clean page, jotting down her question then showing him. _"_ _Will you have lunch with me?"_

Lunch? He looked to his watch, he hadn't realized it was that late in the afternoon already… He eyed her she was reaching into the bag she had and pulled out a thermos. So that's what she had in there… where did she get them? "I'm not hungry." He walked back into the room without another word, he'd call to have someone take her back.

She pouted as she jogged past him to stop in front of him. _"_ _Liar, I can hear you."_ She pointed towards his stomach which made a little groan sound. _"_ _I'm not a pirate, so eat with me."_

He gave a grumble as he eyed her hiding behind that notebook. He might have been… a little hungry but that didn't mean he wanted to share any meals with her. "What are you doing?" She had gone over to his coffee table and began unpacking her bag.

She smiled to herself as she opened up the bento box the nice men in the kitchen gave her, they all thought that she was a marine too… most likely because she was wearing their clothes. They seemed to want her to help with lunch but she didn't know how so she just made these onigiri and took the thermos with some cups.

Sakazuki gave a grumble, she was ignoring him and it was starting to piss him off.

She poured a cup of tea and held it up to him with a smile, she was glad it was still hot.

He took a deep breath to calm himself, she had to be an idiot… He gave a grunt, just this one time…

She gave a large smile as he sat down and took the cup from her, she opened up the bento and slid it over so it was in between them then grabbed the notebook. _"_ _Black tea and Spicy Onigiri, I hope you like."_ With that she picked up one of the rice balls and handed it to him before she took one for herself.

He eyed it carefully, not sure what to take by her serving him before herself… poison maybe? No, she was already sipping her tea… With a grumble he bit into the rice ball, it was a little too salty for his tastes but he didn't mind the spice. Seemed she filled it was a seasoned salmon… All in all it was… enjoyable.

They ate in silence for a moment, she made sure to keep his cup filled and nibbled on the rice ball with a happy smile on her face. She liked this very much. Once her Onigiri was gone she washed it down and took up her pencil and paper once more. _"_ _Can I ask you question?"_

He sighed a little and finished his tea, giving a nod as she held up the thermos to refill his cup. "Go ahead." He wondered what she could possibly want to know.

 _"_ _Why do the Marines & Pirates hate each other so much but work together?" _No matter how much she thought about it she couldn't figure it out.

"Hmph…" He stared into the cup, a legitimate question… "In the pursuit of absolute justice a man must be willing to do anything, even if those means are… undesirable."

She tapped her pencil against her lips as she thought about that, she wished she understood even a little of what he was talking about… _"_ _What is Absolute justice?"_

He set down his cup and crossed his arms, she really was an ignorant girl. "It means to do whatever is necessary for the good of the world, no matter how dark or cruel it may seem. No matter how many lives might have to be sacrificed it is all excusable to ensure that justice is upheld."

 _"_ _So justice means you help people no matter what?"_

He smirked at her simplified definition. "Yes."

That made her smile as she breathed a little sigh of relief, as long as it meant they were helping then it's ok and that means that Law also believes in justice since he helps people. That made her feel better to know that both of these men were good people.

"We are done eating." He changed the subject, it was time for her to go. He indulged her whims enough and there were things he needed to get back to. "I'll have someone take you back to your room."

She packed away the lunch and turned to him again with a final question. _"_ _Can we eat together again?"_

That made him arch a brow. "Why?"

 _"_ _I want to see you again."_ She stood up slipped the backpack on with a smile, she liked sitting with him.

He couldn't help but scoff at that, he doubted that she understood how that sounded.

She bent over so she was face to face with him, holding up her pinky finger with a smile. _"_ _Promise?"_

"What are you doing?" He gave a grimace at her being so close, why was she holding up her finger like that with that idiotic smile again and that note… did she really expect him to promise such a thing just to entertain her?

She gave a silent laugh and picked up his hand, wrapping her pinky around his.

"Tch!" What was she thinking being so upfront with him and touching him unsolicited… "Fine, we can share another meal." He took his hand back and lit a cigar, damn childish girl.

She clapped her hands happily, her smile even wider. She was looking forward to the next time they could have lunch, with that she leaned in quickly and gave him a kiss to his cheek then made a B-line to the door.

That stunned him and he sat dumbfounded for a moment before gritting his teeth that bit his cigar in two. "What are you playing at girl!"

She spun with a wave then disappeared out into the hallway, today was turning into a really fun day.

He growled to himself as he spat out the bit portion of cigar, damn that idiotic girl. He rubbed his cheek where she kissed him, he didn't understand her at all.

"Cora!" Law yelled at her as she was brought back, it was well past dinner time when she was found wandering around outside.

She hid behind the marine that had brought her back, Law looked really unhappy but it wasn't her fault that this place was so big and confusing. She meant to come back to the room after she left the Admiral but somehow she ended up in the training yard and some scary man was yelling at her to run with the others, then she ended up in the kitchen and was scolded for taking the lunch stuff and had to peel potatoes. After that she was taken to mop up a hallway, she was so tired and wanted to cry. It was because of this stupid uniform that everyone thought she was a marine person too.

Law came over and gave her a solid smack to her head. "How did you get so lost?! All you had to do was go to the room! The room!" He pointed back behind him where there was now a large sign that read 'Cora's room, follow arrows.'

 _"_ _I'm sorry, I didn't mean to get lost."_ She was teary eyed as she held up the notebook defensively.

He snatched the pad of paper from her and smacked her over the head again. "From now on you're not allowed to go anywhere by yourself!"

"Gyahahahaha!" A laughter came up from behind them where Buggy was reclined across the couch of the common area. "Still having trouble with that pet of yours?"

Law whirled around, he was not in the mood for this clown. "Cora-ya, go to the room and take a bath. The old woman brought your clothes back." The tone in his voice was calm as he gripped his katana and cracked the knuckles of his free hand. "You, Marine." He turned half-way back around. "Lock the door on your way out."

A cold chill ran up the marine's back and he retreated quickly, he didn't trust that smile on Law's face. It might be best to inform the Admirals…

"Hey! Hey!" Buggy started to back away. "What are you thinking? You… You can't…"

Coracias didn't stick around to see or hear what Law and the ugly faced man were talking about, she followed the signs that were put up that led her back to the room she shared with Law. Laying on the bed was her kimono, freshly cleaned and dried. She couldn't wait to get rid of this uniform… oh? Beside her regular clothes was a pair of folded up pajamas with a note _'_ _A woman needs more than one outfit, you can keep this for now.'_

She smiled as she picked them up, it was nice to have something to sleep in now. With a smile she went to the bathroom to wash up, it was really small and nothing like the bathing area that the nice old woman took her to but she didn't mind.

Sakazuki leaned against the armrest of his chair, the smoke from his cigar swirling about him. Tsuru had come to deliver her report on the girl and her apparent sister but it didn't do anything to relieve the headache that was building over the matter.

"Nothing could be found." The woman sighed as she sat back, it was just her and Akainu now but she was certain that Kizaru would be informed later. "The world government does not acknowledge any nobles under the name 'Kuren' and there's never been a marine with that family name either."

He exhaled a large cloud of smoke. "So that woman in the picture with Coracias was just pretending…" an insult in its own right but what purpose did it serve.

"So it would seem." Tsuru crossed her arms with a sigh, it was a predicament to think there could be someone out there covertly pretending to be a marine but doing so in a manner to remain undetected. If this woman was using the title for dubious means then it would have come up someway but simply put the woman was in the wind. "I did manage to find information on this island that Law reportedly found the girl at."

Sakazuki gave a grunt. "Is it anything we should care about?"

She thought on that for a moment. "I'm not sure yet, a team of marines did investigate the island after an occurrence was reported but it appears the attack was by a pirate group of unknown affiliation." She held her chin in thought. "Something odd did happen on that island though…"

He arched a brow at that. "What do you mean?"

"I studied the photos taken from the attack, the bodies of the pirates were circled around one area and when the circle was expanded outward civilians were found with the same wounds. Their bodies were mingled with those who had been presumably killed by the pirates so the suspiciousness of their deaths was easily overlooked."

"Hmmm…." Bodies circled around a central location and expanding outward… "A weapon was used on that island."

She nodded. "That's what I believe as well but I've never seen wounds like this, the people affected by this weapon had blood running from their ears, eyes and mouths. No autopsies were performed so what actually killed them is unknown."

He mulled that information over, it was a curiosity but there was nothing that directly warranted his concern. "See if any other islands had victims with similar wounds but don't expend too many resources on the search, I don't think this is going to be an issue we'd need to concern ourselves with." A knock at his door drew their attention, what could it possibly be this far into the evening? "Come in." He said in a gruff voice, eyeing the man in the doorway that nervously looked away. He hated it when people couldn't maintain eye contact, it was a sign of weakness.

"I'm sorry to bother you but it appears the warlords Law and Buggy are…" He cleared his throat, not particularly thrilled about having to be the barer of this news. "They're fighting… in the common area."

Sakazuki clenched his fist that turned into a bubbling cluster of lava, what the hell were those little upstarts thinking! "Well get your ass back there and stop them!"

Tsuru smirked a little, she didn't doubt the longer it took to gather all the Warlords the more altercations they'd have to deal with. Not to mention that girl, who has already caused quite a ruckus for just being here for two days… How troublesome.

 **To Be Continued…**


	3. Day 3

Coracias woke with a start, her dreams were a blur again… all she could remember was fire and screaming but nothing else. She looked over beside her, Law fell asleep reading a book again. She smiled as she took it from him, and slipped from the bed to get dressed. They were sharing the bed but it wasn't like it was anything new, it started on the sub. He had given her a room of her own on his sub but she didn't like being alone and would slip into his room in the middle of the night, he finally gave up trying to keep her out after a week and let her sleep in the bed with him.

She found it funny that he usually passed out wearing all his clothes right down to his boots and he never moved in his sleep like she did... he worked so hard right up until he fell asleep…

With a little smile she got changed into her regular kimono, it was still dark outside. The sun wouldn't be up for another few hours and then Law would get up and be back into his books and studying, the least she could do was make sure he had something to eat and coffee… She slipped out of the room quietly and walked into the common area but… someone was awake? That was a first...

There was a man sitting on the couch, his back was turned and all she could see was black hair with a high colored black coat… If he was sitting there could that mean he was another Warlord? Oh! There was a marine here too, that was odd. He looked to be serving food, there wasn't any marine people doing that this early on the first two days…

The marine, a younger man with blonde hair, looked up as he was pouring a cup of coffee for the Shichibukai. "Ah, Miss Kuren." He said with a smile. "Admiral Akainu ordered us to have food prepared early so you don't go trying to find the kitchen on your own again." He let out a little chuckle, they still didn't know what to do with this woman but it seemed their best option was to thwart her wandering attempts. "I brought plenty of food so you can have what you like." He motioned to the large cart beside him that was stocked with fresh fruit and a hot plate were he could make eggs or pancakes.

She gave a little pout as she went to look at the cart, she enjoyed cooking and making the coffee for Law but now it seemed like she wouldn't be able to… Unless she woke up even earlier! She smiled a little at that prospect as she picked up a bowl of cherries to munch on.

"Ah..." The Marine blinked a few times. "Is… that all you want?"

She shook her head and signed the words 'Pancakes please.' Before she sat down next to the other man, he looked interesting… he had well-groomed facial hair and his eyes… reminded her of a birds… not just any bird but one of the predator type, a hawk perhaps.

The marine gave an apologetic look. "I'm sorry Miss, I don't understand sign language."

She frowned a little, she had forgotten again… With a silent sigh she set down the cherries and reached for her notebook…

"The girl asked for Pancakes." The man said without looking up from the book he was reading.

The other two exchanged a look of shock, the younger man gave a nod and began to make her order while the girl tapped the shoulder to the one sitting beside her before signing 'can you understand me?'

He looked at her, rumors were floating around the headquarters about the young woman Law had brought along with him. To be honest he didn't fully believe them but obviously he had been mistaken. "Yes." He simply said before returning his attention to novel he was currently engaged in, he had no interest in knowing more about her. She was a mild curiosity at best but even that would bore him before too long considering she seemed to hold no real value to him. She was not an aspiring swords master nor did she seem to have the intellect to entice his interest further.

She chewed on her lip a little, this man was a bit scary but… 'Would you talk with me a little while? Nobody else here knows how to sign. I miss being able to talk like this.'

He finished his coffee and set down the mug, closing the book as he did. "I have nothing to say." With that he stood and returned to his room, he had his fill with chatty young girls considering that ghost girl that had decided to take up residence in his castle. He did not need another one growing attached and hanging about.

The marine gave a sympathetic look to the girl. "Don't mind him too much Miss Kuren, he's not very friendly with anyone." He plated up the food and handed it to her, she really seemed upset now.

She stared at the food, she had been hungry a moment ago but now… not so much. She started to sign again but stopped when she saw the young man's confused face and reached for her notebook. 'Who was that?'

"You don't know?!" He said with a little shock as he poured her a glass of orange juice. "That was one of the Seven Warlords, Dracule Mihawk. He's the greatest swordsman in the world."

So he was a warlord… so far that means three of seven were here… but she thought Law had mentioned that there weren't seven of them anymore… She frowned again, it was all so confusing. Why would they be called the seven warlords if there weren't seven of them?

He sat down next to her and handed her the glass, he couldn't go anywhere until all the Shichibukai were fed so he might be here for a while. "So Miss Kuren, what kind of things do you like?" He figured it would be alright to get to know her, the Admiral did want to find out more about her because nobody really knew for sure if she was a pirate or not so he might as well take the opportunity to talk to her now while they were alone.

She nibbled a piece of the pancake, it really was pretty good. Her free hand writing her responses as she ate. 'Call me Cora, and I'm still finding that out.' She thought for a moment, she really didn't know how to answer. There were a lot of things she wanted to try because they sounded like something she would like but she never had the chance… 'I enjoy drawing, that's a start.'

"Ah, right. You lost your memory huh." He remembered that now, he wondered what that would be like… forgetting everything about yourself. "Ah! I know!" He dug into his pocket and pulled out a harmonica he always carried. "Do you like music? I'm not very good but I can play this."

She blinked a few times as she looked at the instrument, she took it from him and turned it over in her hand. It didn't seem familiar to her… 'What is it?'

He smiled as he took it back. "It's called a harmonica, here I'll play a song for you." He brought it to his lips and began playing a little tune with a blues sound to it.

She smiled as he played, it was an interesting sound and she kind of liked it. It… made her feel a little better to watch him play and gave her her appetite back and she happily ate the fruit and pancakes he made. She didn't think she'd mind having him coming in the mornings after all.

"What's that racket?"

A growly voice came up behind them and caused the man to stop his playing as they both turned to see a very groggy Law emerging from his room with a very unpleasant look on his face.

Coracias held up her notepad quickly. 'Don't be mad, I asked him to.'

Law grumbled as he grabbed her notebook and tossed it behind him. "It's too early for that noise."

The Marine winced at the tone in his voice and couldn't help but feel sorry for her, Law scared a lot of them and she had to live with him… and it didn't seem like he treated her very nice at all. He stood up and tucked his harmonica away so not to cause her anymore trouble, especially after she went and took the blame for him when it was him who offered to play… "What would you like for breakfast Mr. Law?"

She stomped her foot as she stood up, he didn't have to be so rude by throwing her notebook. She signed angrily. 'Why do you have to be so mean to everyone!'

"Can't understand you." He said with a yawn as he sat down, it was a half-truth. He was slowly starting to understand her sign language and got the gist of what she was saying but she didn't need to know that. He was being cruel for a reason, he had to keep her at arm's length. The last thing he, or she, needed was to become attached to one another. She wasn't meant to live the life of a pirate and especially not a life with him involved. "Eggs, over medium with some rice." He responded to the Marine before grabbing the paper he had brought; they must have gotten the news earlier here… "Coffee as well. Are you done eating Cora-ya."

She crossed her arms and turned away, not giving him an answer.

"Then go back to the room and stay out of trouble today." He responded to her tantrum, she could be as mad as she liked… he didn't mind… really.

'You're horrible!' She signed before storming off, grabbing her notepad that was open on the floor from him tossing it before retreating back to her room with the slamming of the door to announce how upset she was.

Law sighed, he knew what that sign meant… she really was mad at him this time… but this was how it needed to be… "Marine."

The other man jumped at the stern tone and nearly dropped the eggs he had made. "Ah, y… yes?"

He took the plate of food before it ended up on the floor. "I'm assuming Fleet Admiral Akainu is having you watch her." He took a bite and eyed the other man carefully, he didn't seem like much. Most likely just some random grunt that got picked on a whim.

His face went pale, was it really that noticeable? "Well, you see… sir… I… aaaaah…."

"Relax." Law gave him a calm look and slight grin. "I know you'd never do anything to hurt her, right?"

That smile actually terrified him more. "Of… of course not!" He said that a little more forcefully than intended. "He just wants to make sure she doesn't wander around on her own anymore."

He took a few more bites, that seemed reasonable considering the last few days. As long as they weren't planning anything else then he could let their nosiness slide… for now. "Tell me, is there a place around here where a lot of birds gather?"

It was well into the afternoon before Coracias finally came out of the room, she had locked herself in and more frustrating she locked Law out. The Marine from earlier was there for the spectacle, he had to wait till Buggy finally emerged before he could leave and in that time he got to witness Law backing down from the girl who had apparently decided she wanted nothing to do with the Shichibukai for the rest of the morning.

The Marine couldn't help but smile, he never thought he'd ever see a Warlord like the 'Surgeon of Death' avoiding flying projectiles from a very upset woman.

"What are you doing here?"

A stern voice made the young man jump, he turned to see the Fleet Admiral with Admiral Kizaru beside him. "Ah! Go… Good afternoon sirs!" He gave a salute, his back stiff as he maintained his stance. He wasn't expecting to see them at all, especially here. "I'm escorting the young lady as you requested."

"Oooooooh?" Borsalino asked with a crooked smile. "And where is little Hana-neeeeee?"

"Ah… uh…" The Marine pointed towards a tree where her sandals were laying at the base. "She climbed up that tree a little while ago."

Sakazuki arched a brow. "Since when did the Arboretum become a playground?"

The young man shied away, it wouldn't take much for the Admiral to lose his temper. "I'm sorry sir, I was asked to bring her to a place where there would be a lot of birds. It seems she really likes them."

"Asked by who?"

"Ah, the Warlord Law. He made her upset this morning and wanted to cheer her up… without her knowing it was him." He scratched his head a little, he seemed really mean to her but he did seem to care… a little bit.

The Admiral made a grunt, he still wasn't sure what his connection to the girl was. "Get her down from there." She needed to understand this place had rules damn it.

"Oye oye, I'll get her." Borsalino stepped forward as he waved the boy aside, he stood at the base of the tree and looked up. She was sitting on a branch above him with her legs running along the limb, he was certain if he reached up he could touch her but he wouldn't want to startle her. It almost looked like she had fallen asleep... With a smile he waved his old friend over. "She looks rather peaceful Sakazuki-kun, should we really bother her?"

The other man looked up, she was sleeping alright. How lazy to be doing such a thing in the middle of the day. "Wake up!" He yelled as he slammed his fist against the trunk which shook the tree sending leaves to flit to the ground and birds to fly from their hiding spots.

Coracias jumped, startled by the branch moving. Her heart was racing, what in the world?... She looked over and below to see the two large men with the young marine. Her momentary terror at thinking she was falling passed as she smiled brightly down below.

"Ooooooh, there's that wonderful smile! Hello Hana-neeeee." He held up his arms to help her down.

She gave a silent laugh as she fell into his outstretched arms, it was so nice to see them again. She hugged him happily before being set down in the grass gently, her hand going to her notepad. 'Lunch?'

Sakazuki growled, she was as informal as ever. "We don't have time to indulge your whims."

She pouted a little. 'You promised!'

"Tch!" The Admiral looked away with a grumble. "I have things to do now." Damn her, she was acting spoiled bringing up the fickle little promise he made.

"Ooooooh? Can't you put them off for a little while Sakazuki-kun, you did promise." He teased the other man, he was surprised he even did such a thing to be honest. When would they have had a moment even? He would have to press his old friend for details on this, it almost sounded as if they had a date.

"Bring her back to the… where the hell did she go?" He went to look back down but she wasn't there.

"Over there sir." The young marine pointed a little way off were she had stopped by a bird bath, a few small little finches were bathing and she was smiling softly at them.

The Admirals watched her, one scowling and the other smiling that lazy smile. She had managed to coax one of the little birds onto her hand. The other finches slowly started to perch on her shoulders, taking cue from the little one that was now receiving soft pets on her hand that it was safe to be around this girl. "Oooooh, will you look at that." He took out a cigarette and lit it with a grin.

"Hmph." Sakazuki's stern expression did not leave as they watched her interacting with the birds, she seemed… gentle. Too gentle to be a pirate… He sighed and turned away. "She can have five more minutes, then take her back."

Borsalino smirked a little. "And what about your promise Sakazuki-kun?"

He replied with a growl. "I'm busy now…" He continued walking away. "Bring her to me for dinner."

"Ah." The young marine was a little taken aback by that. "You mean to your personal quarters, sir?"

He only gave a grunt for a reply and left.

"Oooooh, be careful not to let anyone know." He warned the young lad. "You know how private Sakazuki-kun can be." He gave a grin and followed after the other man, they walked for a bit before he said anything else. "You seem to like her."

He merely gave a growl as he lit a fresh cigar. "I'm keeping my word, that's all."

That made him chuckle. "The fact that you made such a promise is interesting enough, neeee."

"Shut up."

Coracias smiled as she walked beside the young man, a part of her was a little sad that the other men disappeared without saying goodbye buy the Marine said that he'd take her to see… what was it… Akainu, for dinner later. Now that she thought on it… 'What's your name?'

The young marine eyed the notebook. "Ah, I suppose I never did introduce myself. My name is Tucker."

She smiled, it was a good name. She was trying to do her best to remember people but there were so many to remember, that's why she started drawing their faces to show people in case she forgot their names. Something caught her attention as they walked passed a hallway… a bunch of marines were pulling things out of a room. She grabbed Tucker's sleeve and gave it a tug then pointed to the others.

"Hm?" He took a step back and looked down the hall. "Oh, it looks like they are cleaning out one of the old storage rooms." Once Admiral Akainu took over he had ordered to have a lot of this old junk removed, they had been finding a lot of random things lately.

She watched them for a little longer till something really got her attention, two of the marines were struggling to move something large with a cloth draped over it. Before she realized it her feet where moving her forward.

"Hey!" He called out to her but it was too late, now what was she doing?

She ran up to the thing they were still moving and ripped off the cover, it was…

Tucker jogged to a stop beside her and eyed the thing. "An upright piano?" What the heck were they doing with something like this? "Ah, sorry guys." He apologized and explained who she was but he could tell she was zoned in on that piano. "Ah, Miss Cora… Do you like pianos?" He remembered their conversation at breakfast, maybe seeing this brought something back to her.

She chewed on her lip as she touched the old ivory keys… it felt… familiar. She pushed down on one… the sound resonated and echoed along the hallway… She knew… this sound…

"What is that." Law asked in a bland tone as he eyed the thing against the wall of the common area, he hoped when she got back from the Arboretum she'd be in a better mood but she was… nervous almost.

Tucker wiped the sweat from his brow, this thing was unbelievably heavy. "Miss… ah… Miss Cora wanted us to bring the piano… here." He tried to catch his breath and waved the other guys off so they could leave, he was gonna owe them lunch after this.

He sighed as he messaged his temple, please don't let this turn into another headache. "Cora-ya."

She looked over to Law with a bit of a frown, he wasn't going to scold her again…. Was he? She crossed her arms and turned her attention back to the piano, it was old and dusty but… touching it made her feel better somehow.

Law sighed, looks like she was still mad at him… maybe he took it too far this morning. "Cora-ya…" He walked up next to her and put a hand on her head. "Can you play this?" She hadn't had any developments in remembering things since the day she discovered she could draw; he had tried introducing her to different things but nothing struck a chord. He never had access to instruments though… so this could be good for her.

She chewed on her lip, it was nice to feel his hand again… maybe she could forgive him… she was having a good day after all. The trip to the garden with all those birds really relaxed her and later she'd be having dinner with the nice Admiral… She took a deep breath and grabbed her notepad. 'I forgive you.'

He blushed a little at that. "Baka, I wasn't apologizing." He stuck his hands in his pockets with a sigh. "And you didn't answer me, can you play that? Have you remembered something?"

She gave a little shrug; she didn't recall anything specific but… it felt familiar to her. She sat down on the bench, listening to it creak under her weight as she adjusted herself. Her fingers attentively touched the ivory… she felt like there was a memory just below the surface… and if she could play then maybe… it would come to her…

The young marine and Law watched her, the first tone rang out in the area and then another. She blended the sounds into a haunting melody that combined sorrow with peace of mind… Law's widened eyes couldn't hide the shock. She was playing well… extremely well. This wasn't the music of someone who just played around with the keys, she might not have remembered what she could do but her body was fully aware. This talent and her art… she had to have been from a family that was well schooled… so why the hell couldn't he find anything on her? Even after they discovered her name on that picture she carried he couldn't find anything…. Cora-ya… Who are you?

One of the room doors opened behind them, Tucker turned and saw the warlord Mihawk standing in the doorway with a glass of wine being held casually. He must have been curious about the music, oh? He didn't watch for long… maybe he wasn't that curious… He thought he heard another door open but didn't see anyone else… has any other Shichibukai showed up yet?

Coracias smiled to herself, it felt… wonderful. Touching each of the heavy keys to create a sound, stringing those sounds into a song. She didn't want to stop but her hands slowed and finally rested, her heart was racing… she really did it. She turned in her seat and smiled brightly to the two watching her, it was amazing! Her hands went into a flurry. 'Did you see! I did this! I can play the piano!'

Law grinned as he walked up to her, she got so excited she forgot to use her notebook but he could piece together what she said. He put a hand on her head and ruffled her hair a little. "Notebook… Baka." He said it softly as he continued to smile, it was good seeing her like this and to think he considered not trying to get her memory back. "Come on, you can play that later." He turned away and waved her to follow. "It's lunch time."

"Fufufufufu…" Behind a closed door a tall man laughed to himself, how interesting. How very interesting… He was told about Law bringing a girl but he didn't believe it and to think she was such a cute little thing… what are you doing with a girl like that, Law… "Fufufufufu…" He was going to surprise his dear Law but he'd hide his presence for a little longer, he wanted to see if this girl would be any fun first… and just how important was she to Law…

Before she knew it evening had snuck up on them, after lunch she had busied herself with cleaning the piano with supplies that Tucker had brought her. He offered to help but she refused it, doing this was filling her with so many familiar feelings. She knew that this piano would help her to remember who she was… she wondered if Law would let her take it with her when they left… Do they even let things like this on a sub?

"Ah, Miss Cora."

She turned and gave the young marine a few blinks, what was he doing back? She thought somebody else was supposed to be bringing dinner tonight.

He gave her a smile, that look on her face told him she had completely forgotten. "I came to get you for your dinner date."

"What's this about a date?"

The young man jumped and turned to see Law standing there with a very unpleasant look on his face. "Ah, you see… I'm supposed to being her… Ah, to Admiral Akainu… for Dinner."

She stepped in front of the marine, holding up her notepad before Law could start yelling at him. 'He promised me lunch.'

Law gave a bit of a grumble. "But it's not lunch time anymore, baka!" He gave her a solid whack to the top of her head. "When did you talk to him to make this promise anyways!" What the hell! It must have been on the second day when she was wandering all afternoon on her own… but how did she meet up with Akainu of all people! He thought he'd have to worry about that shady Admiral Kizaru not that damn stick in the mud! He gripped his face with a growl, what should he do about this… "No! You can't go!" He stood up straighter with a stern look on his face, no way he was gonna let her… where the hell did she go?!

She was pulling the young marine out into the hall as she waved happily with a big grin. They had to get going before it got much later.

"Ah, don't worry Mr. Law." He gave the Shichibukai a nervous wave. "I'll make sure to bring her back after dinner." With that he left the common area quickly before the other man could retaliate. That guy really scared the crap out of him.

Law clenched his fists till his knuckles cracked, what the hell… what the hell should he do about this. He can't let the marine's try to weasel their fingers into her, they'd just use her like they did Cora-san... and leave her… He let out a little growl and turned away to go to his room. There was no stopping this whole dinner fiasco now but he'd keep a closer eye on her from now on.

"Should you be letting your ward go so easily, Trafalgar Law."

"Hm?" He paused to see the reclusive warlord standing in his doorway. "I didn't know you to be interested in other people's business Dracule-ya." He wasn't sure what to say to this person, in fact it was the first time they ever exchanged words. "And she's not my ward, she's free to do as she pleases."

"Then why did you try to stop her just now?" He watched the boy's expression, he refused to admit he was protective over the girl.

"Tch." Law continued to walk to his room, so he saw that did he… "I don't know what you mean." He left the other warlord in his door way and retreated to his own room. Until all the other Shichibukai showed up and they could be done with this meeting he didn't want to spend much time talking to any of them.

Mihawk watched the boy walk away… stubborn and ultimately would be problematic. He held a mild curiosity for him when he saved the Straw Hat during the war of the best, he did not doubt that he knew where he was as well but the boy was acting as if he played no part at all… Ah curiosity that will become tiring soon. He'd find out more on the mugiwara boy on his own, considering the straw hat's swordsman was currently residing on his island in secret. So he'd let Law have his mysteries, everyone was entitled to a few…

Sakazuki eyed his bonsai, it calmed him to trim it. Although he usually reserved this for a day he had off, a task he enjoyed doing during the afternoon hours… he found he needed to clear his head. That girl would be here shortly and they will share another meal… a fact that bothered him. He did not need to fulfil her childish little promise… perhaps it was Borsalino's teasing that got him to do it…

A knock at his door drew his attention, his eyes darting to the clock… It was time. "Come in." He stood from the cross-legged position he had been in sitting on the floor, it would be best to put a shirt back on. He did not like the confining feeling of the fabric as he trimmed but it would not be appropriate to remain so during this dinner.

Tucker opened the door and stepped aside so she could walk in. "Here you go."

Coracias looked around, so this was the nice Admirals home. It had such a traditional feel to it… it made her feel… comfortable.

"I'll come back when you're done." The young marine said with a smile. "So you don't get lost again."

She nodded with a smile and held up her notepad. 'Thank you.'

"Anytime." He said as he gave a wave before shutting the door, he was enjoying his time with her. It was brief but she was a nice person, it will be a shame when this gathering is over and she leaves.

She walked farther into the home, it was so big… ah! She stopped and slipped out of her sandals, you weren't supposed to where shoes in a traditional home… right? She wasn't sure but it seemed right… oh, now where was the Admiral… She walked further in and paused, there he was. She Stopped as she watched him, he was slipping into a shirt and had his back to her. It was brief but she saw his left side was heavily tattooed… who would've thought?

"Hm?" He sensed her behind him and turned halfway as he buttoned his shirt up, she was wearing the same short kimono again. Didn't she have anything else to wear? "Follow me, the table has been set already." He turned away and led her to the dining area, he did not have a large space for eating. Typically, he ate alone unless Borsalino decided to intrude, so his table was a simple zataku with two zaisu chairs. "Have a seat."

Ah! It looked so nice! The table was filled with different types of food; grilled fish, miso soup, rice… oooh and pot stickers! She smiled happily as she took her seat, this was a wonderful meal.

Sakazuki sat down across from her, she seemed delighted for this… how odd. Was something this trivial really worth expending the energy she was… hm? "What are you doing?" She had gotten up and moved her seat adjacent to his.

She repositioned and smoothed out her kimono before grabbing her note book. 'I was too far away before; I can't fill your cup.' She smiled as she took the tea pot and poured it into the ceramic cup for him, it looked like he had prepared green tea to go with dinner tonight.

He sighed a bit. "It's not necessary, I can fill my own cup." What's with this girl, she was like this when they had lunch as well. No high bred woman would be so subservient…

'I know but I want to.'

That response combined with that blasted smile caught him off guard, what was she doing looking at him like that… "Do you as you please." He stated simply before picking up his chopsticks to begin eating.

She followed suit and started nibbling little bits of each food, she wanted to try them all to see which she liked best. She didn't remember having a meal like this before but it was going to be a memory she hung on to from now on. Ah, that reminded her! 'I found something out today!'

"Hm?" He eyed her writing, seemed she wished to engage in small talk. He sighed a little, he'd continue to indulge her for the time being. Besides, her past was still a mystery and he was still undecided on how to handle her. Would he remove her from Law's care for her protection or… hmmm, the options weren't really clear for him at this point. "What is it?"

'I can play the piano! It's wonderful!'

He arched a brow at that, how did she manage to find this out?

'I'd like to play for you.'

Once again he was taken back by that smile of hers, what was she thinking looking at him like that. That soft look in her eyes and sweet smile implied too much, he had to be careful… keep her at arm's length… what?! He looked down to see her hand on his arm. "What are you doing?!" He moved away, she was too close… to open. She had no right to be touching him like that.

She frowned a little, he pulled away. She was only trying to get his attention, he seemed to be distracted by something. 'Are you alright?'

He grumbled a little, how dare she… how dare she continue to look at him like that. No one looked at him so gently… Fear, rebellion, outright hatred or even respect. Those were the eyes of the people that looked at him but her… those brown eyes of hers… they didn't hold any of those emotions. She always looked at him was a gentle aura… her eyes… her lips… even the touch to his arm just now… was gentle. "It's nothing, continue eating."

Why was this man so closed off? She pouted a little as she took a sip of her tea, he was even more stand offish than Law. Maybe it was a 'man' thing… but still, he kept his promise to her and that made her very happy.

Sakazuki watched her from the corner of his eye, she was smiling again. Why was it she was never scared or tense around him… why…

Law fumed to himself, he hadn't eaten much of the dinner that was provided. It had been an hour… shouldn't she be back by now? He rolled to his side on the bed… it was odd not seeing her there. He had hated it when she started sneaking into his bed at night but somewhere along the way he had gotten used to it. It's not like it was anything more than that, he never tried anything with her and at most he would pet her hair to calm her when the nightmares would cause her to stir but she never cried out…

He sighed as he sat up, perhaps a shower would make him feel better. He was tense as all hell, to be honest he wouldn't mind one of her back massages right now. She got pretty good at them from reading his medical books and seemed to have a natural talent for pressure points… which didn't help him in trying to figure these things out. Was this natural talent an unknown thing to her or was it her body remembering things her mind had forgotten? So far her talents were with art and apparently music… and she knew about the human body well enough but that could have been from her reading his books since she seemed to be a quick learner… it wasn't like she was a prodigy in everything she did though. He found that out when she tried to cook… and set his kitchen on fire. At best she can make rice balls but that's the extent of her culinary ability…. Another sigh as he shed his shirt and went to the bath… "Coracias… Cora-ya… Cora-chan…" He mumbled the different names he could call her, none of them set right with him but he wasn't the type to give cute little nicknames to people so he'd have to deal with this cruel coincidence. He stopped in front of the mirror, his eyes going to the grinning face tattooed on his chest. He touched it with yet another sigh… "Cora-san… what should I do…" What would you do about this girl?... He smiled a little, that was an easy question… "You'd take her with you and protect her… Just like what you did for me."

Coracias walked happily, her stomach was full and her evening was enjoyable. Akainu didn't say much but she didn't mind that, he was the type that didn't need to talk.

"Here you are." Tucker gave a yawn, it was late and he had been up early making their breakfast. In the morning he'd have to do it again but hopefully he wouldn't have to stay up so late with her tomorrow.

'Thank you.' She wrote with a smile, he looked so tired but she was grateful he was here to bring her back. She knew she'd have gotten lost again without him. She waved him off and gave a little stretch, she should go to bed herself… Her eyes wandered over to the piano, she wanted to play it again but it was so late she had better not. The last thing she needed was to wake up everyone by being selfish. With a sigh she put the piano behind her, she'd play some more tomorrow, Law was most likely going to be mad at her for being out so late. She opened the door to her room and shut it gently just in case he was already asleep…

"What are you doing girl?"

She practically jumped out of her skin at the unfamiliar voice, she turned to see the man from breakfast standing beside the bed in nothing but slacks. She blushed and looked away. 'What are you doing in here!' She signed hurriedly.

He arched a brow. "It's rude to ignore a person's question." He spoke in a calm tone as he eyed her, she must have just been getting back from her dinner with the Admiral… a situation that was still curious to him. "Just as it's rude to enter a man's room, uninvited, in the middle of the night."

She blinked a few times as she looked around… oh no. 'I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!' She signed as she bowed her head, she didn't realize she went to the wrong door. 'I'll leave, I'm sorry, have a goodnight.'

"Wait." He ordered as he saw her turning to leave, he went and took a seat in a chair he had arranged by the singular window these rooms provided. "Come here, girl." He poured himself a glass of wine that he kept beside him on an end table, waiting for her to do as she was told.

She shifted her weight nervously, this man… she wasn't sure what to think of him. He had such an emotionless aura about him… but she walked forward anyways, she did want to talk to him because he understood her sign language but he brushed her off this morning…

He continued to watch her as she walked over, she was cautious and rightly so. At least she wasn't completely naïve. "You can either sit or stand, I don't care which." He took a sip from the glass and leaned back. He was curious about this girl and more so curious as to why people such as Law and the Admiral took interest in her.

Coracias knelt beside him, she felt awkward standing while he sat. 'I can't be long, Law will get mad.'

He gave a nod as he took another sip. "I will not keep you, girl. I only have a few question."

She gave a nod as she watched him drink, she didn't recall seeing anyone drink wine before… he made it look so… dignified.

"Why do you not speak?" He could tell she did so because she chose not to, her hearing was perfect. If it wasn't she would not be able to string the melodies of the piano together as she did.

That question actually shocked her, she had never actually been asked that. She had been asked 'Can you' and 'Will you' but never 'Why?'… She chewed on her lip a little and took a deep breath… then smiled. How silly, to think something like wanting to know 'why' could make her so happy. She brought up her hands and began to sign. 'When I use my voice, people get hurt. So I decided it would be better to be silent.'

He did not say anything as he continued to drink, she kept staring at him as if she expected a reaction. "You may think what your doing is well meaning but you have forgotten a fundamental fact of life, girl."

She blinked a few times, what did he mean by that?

"You cannot stop people from being hurt." He finished his wine and stared into the glass, it glinted a little as it caught the light of the moon in it. "If you restrict yourself in an attempt to 'save' others then you are helping no one, not even yourself. If your words can hurt then use them. If you do not have a reason to hurt others then find one, the world is over flowing with reasons. All you have to do is pick one." He placed his elbow on the armrest and touched his chin as he continued to watch her, she was a woman but acted so childish.

She looked away, that was such a harsh thing to say… 'Why would anyone want to hurt someone else?'

"Because one cannot grow stronger if all they do is exist, strength comes from adversity. In those hardships people get hurt and in turn you may be hurt, that's when you strike back. Then you grow and become stronger."

Stronger… She touched her lips in thought. No matter how much she thought on it… she couldn't find the appeal. She was enjoying the life she had now… and even if what he said about hurting herself was true… she didn't mind. 'I don't want to hurt anyone… I don't want to see people crying anymore.'

He closed his eyes with a sigh. "You are beginning to bore me girl."

She pouted a little, his words were just as mean as Law's… it really must be a man thing. She sat up a little and picked up the bottle of wine, he had not moved to refill his glass at all.

One eye opened as he looked down at her, her eyes did not gleam with that innocent luster as before when she talked to him this morning or when she played the piano… This childish girl really did not understand what he was trying to say. "Tomorrow night, after your Master has fallen asleep, come to me with an answer." He held out his glass, allowing her to fill it for him.

That confused her even more. Setting down the bottle she signed with a puzzled expression. 'An answer for what?' and when he said 'Master' did he mean Law? Is that how people viewed them?

He took a sip then began to swirl the glass so the wine circled to the rim but did not spill. "Who are you willing to protect, who will you hurt others for?"

Her eyes grew wide… who would she… protect? She set down the bottle and stood up, smoothing out her kimono with a sigh. She never thought about that before… 'I will think about it.' She bowed a little, her mind now filled with what he had said. 'Goodnight.'

"Rest well, girl." He stared into his glass, now half full… the redness of the wine would remind him of her hair… how troublesome.

She shut his door quietly, she had wanted to talk to him… but she never expected the conversation to be like that. Hm? It was dark in the common area but it looked like someone was standing at the piano…

The other person grinned widely. "Did you get lost, little dove?"

The voice was deep and she didn't recognize it, there was no light so she doubted this person would see her sign let alone her note pad… She'd apologize tomorrow, if he was here then he must be another of the Warlords… 'I'm sorry.' Her hands signed the words regardless of the lack of light and slipped into her room, after making sure there was a sign with her name on it first. It was dark in here too; Law must have fallen asleep which was fine since she was certain he'd yell at her for being gone for so long. She went to the bed and slipped beneath the covers, her eyes adjusting and slowly his features could be seen easier… Looking at him sleeping reminded her of what the other man, Dracule, said… Someone… she wanted to protect…

In the common area the man simply smiled, his fingertips grazing the piano keys before turning to go back to his room. What a curious girl to have dinner with the Admiral and a night cap with Mihawk… curious indeed but what amused him the most was her name. Plastered along the wall with those silly little signs. "Cora…" What cruel fate you had Law, to find someone with that name… His grin grew even wider. This would make stealing her away, all the sweeter.

 **To Be Continued…**

 **A/N: Three days in, how are you guys liking the progression and prospective partner interactions? Is there anyone standing out right off the bat that you think would be good for her? Reviews are always appreciated and thanks for sticking with this story** **J**


	4. Day 4, The Afternoon

**A/N: Sorry for the delay in updating, had family activities to deal with. Plus trying to figure out what I was going to do with this chapter, it's a bit longer than usual & I had to cut this day into two chapters since I have a lot going on here. So please enjoy!**

Morning seemed to come too quick, Law sat alone on the couch of the common room with a book open on his lap but it might as well not even been there for as much attention he was giving it. His mind was stuck on Cora… She was acting oddly today; she did not get up first like always, instead he woke up with her laying closely beside him and cuddled up to him almost… She had never laid that close to him before and to be quite frank it startled him, her hand was wrapped around his and even now he could feel her warmth still tingling in his palm. He had asked if she was ok, maybe she had another bad nightmare, but her response was a simple 'I'm fine'. Now it was almost noon and she had not left her position on the piano bench for a few hours, she would play a song then pause before starting a new one. While it was relaxing to listen to her music the fact that she was staying out of trouble was… strangely unsettling.

Coracias touched the keys to the piano but it did not relax her like it had the day before, what Dracule had said last night was playing over and over in her mind. Why had he said those things to her, acting as if she was really the type of person that could protect anyone… She wasn't a swordsman like him, she wasn't super smart like Law and she certainly wasn't anything like Akianu… How could she protect the people she cared for…

"Oooooh, what beautiful music Hana-neeeee."

The new voice caused the two in the common area to jump from their respective thoughts, Coracias pushing down roughly on the keys that made a rather unpleasant pitch.

Law winced at the sound emitting from the piano and gave a glare to the ever annoying yellow glad Admiral. "What brings you here Kizaru-ya?" He asked blandly, it was almost odd not seeing the Fleet Admiral lurking about close by.

"Ooooh, no need to be so mean Law-kun. I just wanted to see our favored guest." He walked up to the girl sitting with an almost sad expression despite the smile she was doing her best to give. "I'd like to take you someplace, little Hana-neeee."

The younger man gave a scowl that blatantly said he was having none of it. "She's busy."

Borsalino walked up to the girl and handed her a package that was nicely wrapped. "Why don't you go to your room and open your present, neee." He gave her a smile as he pet her hair playfully.

She blinked a few times as she stared at the gift, she took it quizzically as she turned it over in her hands. It was wrapped so beautifully she almost didn't want to ruin it. Her eyes went to Law and held it up to show him as well as get permission to go and open it. He had been awfully strict since they came here.

Law took a deep breath which exhaled into an aggravated sigh. "Go ahead." The two men watched her leave with a little spring in her step, he could tell she was trying to contain her excitement… come to think of it that was the first proper present she had received… all things considering. "What are you doing Kizaru-ya?"

The taller man gave a lazy smile as he lit a cigarette. "How strange of you Law-kun, being so dotting over a girl you claim to not be a crew mate or lover." He teased.

"Tch!" He gave a grumble, not impressed by the other man's taunting.

"And how strange…" Once more a new voice emerged, the other two men looked to see Dracule standing in his doorway. "To see an Admiral taking such interest in this no name child." He had opened his door solely to investigate the unpleasantly abrupt stop to the piano music, which he was enjoying.

Law arched a brow, what in the world was he doing sticking his nose into this…

"Oooooh, this is also a surprise. How unlike like you to put an interest in this."

He swordsman stoic expression did not change as he reached back inside his room and produced his coat. "I have no such interest in your particular nonsense." He slipped into it and was adjusting it as the girl re-emerged from her room.

Coracias smiled brightly as she came back into the common room with a twirl to show off the new kimono she had received; it was short like her other one but the fabric was a soft yellow with a white flower pattern and orange obi. She absolutely loved it!

The corner of Law's mouth crept up into a hint of a smile before he repressed it, she did look good and it was nice that she had something other than that pink one she had been wearing all this time but he did not like where this gift had come from.

"Oooooh! How lovely hana-neeee." Borsalino smiled at her as the cigarette hung from his lips. "You look wonderful, neee."

She held up her notepad, her smile refusing to go away. 'Thank you so much!'

He smiled to her as her put out his smoke. "Oooh, I'm very glad you like it. Now how about we…"

"No."

The other three turned to Dracule, who had now adorned his hat and placed his sword upon his back. The fact that he voiced an objection before Law was a little shocking. "No?" Borsalino questioned the other man with a peeked brow.

Dracule closed the door to his temporary room and stepped in-between her and the Admiral. "The girl and I had a prior arrangement." He gave the boy a sideways glance then turned his attention to her. "You won't be needing this." He took her notebook and tossed it onto the couch beside the boy.

Coracias looked between all the faces, she wasn't sure what to do… She was supposed to go to this man's room later tonight with her answer but did this mean he wanted it now? And the nice Admiral was wanting her to go with him… would it be alright to receive this gift then not go with him? She frowned a little, and then there was Law… who didn't look happy at all.

"Oooooh, this is rather interesting." He gave a grin as he turned away. "Looks like I'll just have to wait till later, little hana-neeeee." He backed down with that lazy smile of his, he wasn't sure what the other man's game was but he was curious to see what would happen. Besides he, himself, wasn't the one who was wanting the young lady's time.

"Come, girl."

She looked up to see Dracule walking away, her eyes darted to Law but he wasn't arguing… she wondered what was going through his head.

Law just let out a sigh, at least Mihawk was a slightly safer choice than her running off with the Admiral… "Just go." What the hell was going on in this place? Why were these people showing such an interest in her when her being here was by sheer accident in the first place… He closed his eyes and reclined back into the couch. A better question was why he was being so concerned about her…

She gave a little smile and hugged him from behind as he sat there, he really was putting up with a lot because of her. There had to be something she could do to make it up to him…

He was startled by the sudden warmth and opened his eyes to see her face right next to his. "What are you doing?" Why did she have to be so clingy?

'Don't worry.' She signed as she gave him a kiss on the cheek before standing and going into a quick walk to catch up to Dracule, who was already well on his way out of the common area.

His cheeks flushed as his hand went to the spot where her lips touched. "I… I'm not worried!" He gave a little grumble as he watched her disappear out the door with that damn stupid smile of hers. He stood up, grabbing the book he was reading and the note pad that was left behind before retreating into his room with a slam of his door. What the hell was she thinking! Kissing people like that… she was too damn friendly. He fell onto the bed, tossing the books down beside him, with a grumble as he rubbed the spot she kissed… perhaps taking a nap would help… Another sigh as he rolled to one side, his eyes noting the soft pink on the bedsheet… her old kimono… he reached out and touched it, he'd never thought about it before but it really was a nice thing… and soft. His eyes went to her notebook and he moved it closer to him while sitting up on an elbow, he started flipping through the pages and stopped when he found some of her drawings… She had a habit of drawing everyone one smiling, even though he knew damn well that people like himself and Akainu wouldn't have such stupid grins on their faces… he flipped a page, looks like she had drawn a new one… and he couldn't help but smirk It was of him and her… It was the first time she had ever drawn herself, at least that face looked normal with a smile on it… and once again she drew him smiling. He let out a sigh as he stared at the picture, she just had to make them both look so damn happy being together… He grumbled at the choice of his own words and pushed the notebook away. What a foolish thought that was, as if those two would ever be together like that. She was far too annoying… and clingy… not to mention a klutz and complete airhead… and sweet… stupidly sweet in fact… and gentle…

Law gave a loud grumble as he sat up, shaking those thoughts right back out of his head… a nap was definitely out of the picture now… having a beer sounded about right though.

* * *

"What?" Sakazuki eyed his friend after hearing what happened where the Warlords were being housed, a distinct feeling of agitation was creeping up and turning into a headache.

Borsalino gave a little chuckle. "Perhaps it should have been you that brought her the gift then."

The other man gave a growl as he turned away and walked back out to the balcony of his office, like hell he would've done that. Presenting that girl with any sort of gift would've caused too much trouble for him, especially if it would be in front of those damn warlords…

"Oooooh, don't look so upset Sakazuki-kun. I'm sure you can see her shortly, after she's done having her date with Mihawk."

Another growl was the only response, as if he cared about how soon he saw the girl. That gift was merely a curtesy and she could stay out wandering with that swordsman all night for all he cared… he did, however, want to know why that man was out with her… what could Mihawk possibly want her for… perhaps it would be good to keep an eye on them… to make sure he wasn't up to anything.

* * *

Coracias kept pace with Dracule, it was a quite walk but she really didn't expect much else. Part of her wanted to ask where they were going but decided to leave it alone, she could only assume he wanted to get away from the people that had been staring at them… was that why he brought her out to the sea side?

"Girl." He stopped and looked out towards the ocean, this should be far enough away from prying ears. "Do you have an answer for me."

She blinked a few times as she climbed up onto the rock next to him. 'I thought I had more time.' She thought she did but… so many things had happened since she came to this place that she wasn't sure on how she felt about who.

"You are correct; I would have called you stupid if you had rushed to make your decision so quickly."

She pouted a little as she looked down at him. 'That wasn't very nice.'

That made him smirk. "I am not a nice person, girl."

'So why did you bring me out here?'

"Solely because I did not want you going with that man." He noted the confused expression on her face when he said that. "Why do you think he wanted you to accompany him?"

She lifted her hands to respond but paused, she never really thought about it before… she supposed it was because they like to spend time with her like she did with them… 'I really don't know.'

"Would you follow anyone blindly if all they did was spare a kind word and I smile?"

She frowned again, he was being awfully mean… 'Was I wrong to follow you then?'

He smiled at that. "I did not offer you any kind words or even a smile, girl." He leaned against the rock she was perched on as he directed his attention back out to the water. "Consider this, that man is an Admiral. One of the most powerful men in the service to the Marines and you are a simple girl with no abilities that should warrant a man's attention. Yet he brings you a gift and wishes to take you someplace? Why?"

She furrowed her brow as she leaned over to look at him, how did he expect to see her signing if he wasn't looking at her and he had that big funny hat on so he really couldn't see her at all… But what he said did need a little thought, she supposed… she really didn't realize how important that man was and to be honest she had never really spent any time with him when Akainu wasn't around… she reached down and swatted at the feathery thing sticking out of his hat to get his attention.

"I know full well what the answer is girl, you don't need to tell me." He ignored the swatting for a moment longer but she was being persistent. With a sigh he looked up to her since it seemed she wouldn't relent until he did, he shifted only enough to see her from the corner of his eye. "Can't you remain still, even for a little while?" She was leaning over rather far and with her flailing... "Be care…"

Before the words could finish coming out she felt the hand that was supporting her weight slipping, the rock was wet from sea spray and the algae did nothing to help. Her eyes got wide as she realized gravity was beginning to take effect.

"Tch!" He took a step back but it was too late, she was already too close before she started falling so he really didn't have time to move away before she collided into him and they both fell to the ground. He landed hard with her on top of him, he was just glad no one was around to see them like this. He sat up a little, she apparently hadn't noticed she was straddling his legs… He cleared his throat to get her attention.

She pouted a little and rubbed away the tears building in the corner of her eyes, that really hurt… He made a noise and she finally looked up… no, she looked down… and her cheeks flushed a little as she realized she was sitting on top of him. She hurriedly went to back away but winced as a sharp pain hit her, her eyes going to her hand where the palm was scraped up.

He let out a sigh as he sat up and crossed his legs, this girl was a troublesome one… "Let me see it." He held out his hand for her to give him hers.

She gave a little nod and put her hand in his, he barely touched her but it seemed soft… and warm. She could feel her cheeks getting flushed again as she gave him quick glances between her hand and his face… He certainly looked a bit scary with those piercing eyes of his but… he seemed to have a nice side… ah! Her eyes got a little wide as she felt a sharp pain again and she sat up straight with a shiver.

He smirked a bit, the finger he poked into her palm still pressed against the scrape. "You really don't make any sound do you."

She snatched back her hand and rubbed it tenderly with fresh tears building up, he really was a mean person! 'That wasn't nice!' She signed with her best angry face but it hurt to move her hand now.

That actually made him laugh. "I already told you, girl. I'm not nice." He stood up and brushed himself off as he looked down at her, she was an airheaded girl and completely useless… but… she was amusing. "Come, you've been away long enough. I'm certain your Master will be wondering where you are." He offered her a hand to help her stand up.

Having him refer to Law like that bothered her but she ignored it and took his hand, making sure to use the one that wasn't hurt so he didn't squeeze it again. As she stood she felt another sharp pain and stumbled a little forward into him.

"What are you doing?" He arched a brow as he looked down at the face buried in his chest, he shifted and took note of her knee where the skin had been scraped away as well. Such a troublesome girl… "Are you going to let that stop you from walking?"

She gave a little pout as she stepped away from him but still hung onto his arm for support. 'I'll be fine'

He gave her an unimpressed look; she might have claimed she was fine but she wouldn't still be clinging to him in such a manor… this was going to be a very long walk back into the compound…

* * *

Law grumbled to himself as he looked to the clock in the common area, those two had been gone for a few hours already… what was taking them?... Just as he thought that he heard the sound of boots in the hall. "Finally." He said with a sigh as he sat up, he kept saying he would keep a closer eye on her but she kept being led off by this person and that person… for sure, this time he'd not let her out of his sight… huh? "What the hell!"

Dracule entered the common area… alone. He gave the boy a blank look and continued on to his room without a word.

"Wait!" He stood up and called out to the man before he disappeared. "Where is Cora?! She left with you!" Damn it! This is what he got for trusting him!

Seeing the boys distress made him smirk. "She wished to be left in the arboretum as to not embarrass me by having to cling to me as we walked." He honestly did not care either way but it was a notion brought up by her, she apparently thought he would be bothered by such a triviality so he allowed her to think it. She would return on her own before long, she still needed to come to him tonight with her answer.

"Tch." Law let out a little growl. "And why would she need to 'cling' to you?"

"She fell and hurt her knee." He waved the boys outrage off before he could start yelling. "It's a minor wound, you would do well not to coddle her so much. How do you expect her to grow stronger if you shield her constantly?" With that he left the boy to his own devices, right now he desired a bath to rid him of the sand he acquired from taking the girl to the beach area.

Another growl, what did he know about her anyways. That man only just met her so he wouldn't know anything about them… er… her… he meant to say her… He let out a grumbled sigh and went to leave but he paused as he reached for his katana, her notebook was sitting beside it and still open to the picture she had drawn of them together. Instead of grabbing his sword he picked up the bundle of paper with a sigh… what was he supposed to do? He always complained about her being a burden but now when she was trying not to be one he wanted to rush to her… he still didn't understand why he was trying so hard with her. She was his patient… they weren't friends or anything, no matter how friendly she acted… but still… he wanted to protect her, at the very least keep the marines from getting a hold of her. He still didn't trust why the admirals were so interested in her… He let out a sigh and took his things… then returned to his room to wait. She'd come back to him… she always did; he'd just have to get used to it taking a little longer…

* * *

Coracias smiled contently from her spot leaning against a tree, the throbbing in her knee had subsided and she knew she should be finding her way back but she loved this place so much…

"Fufufufu…"

A noise caught her attention… was that someone laughing? She sat forward a little and looked around, where in the world was it coming from… she didn't see anyone.

"Look up, little dove."

Her eyes got a little wide as she did what the voice said, looking up she saw a really tall man laying along the limb of the tree she was sitting under. She had never seen him before, she would have definitely remembered that giant pink feather coat… She reached for her notepad… ah! She had forgotten that Dracule had her leave it! She didn't think about it at all when she asked him to leave her here, she had planned to ask people how to get back to where the warlords were but how was she supposed to talk to everyone now?

"What's the matter little dove?" He gave a broad smile as he slid off of the branch and landed to a crouched down position right next to her. "Are you shy?" He touched her chin and turned her face a bit to inspect her, this was the first time he really got to look her over… What a cute little thing.

She blushed a little and backed away, he was really really close… but she couldn't go anywhere with the tree right behind her. She bit her lip as she tried to figure out how to communicate… maybe he was like Dracule and knew sign language? She lifted her hands nervously and signed. 'I'm sorry, I don't speak.'

"Eh?" He watched her hands with a frown. "You don't talk?" That made his frown grow even deeper as his fingers went to her lips. "Are you sure?" He caressed her lips with his fingertips as he leaned in even closer. "My brother claimed not to speak as well… and I believed him because I loved him…"

Her heart started to pound, she didn't know what to think of this man and she wasn't even sure he understood what she had said or if he just made the observation because of her hand movements…

"I loved him…" He repeated. "Up until the very day he betrayed me…"

Her eyes grew wide when he said that last part and the scowl he had turned even deeper… she didn't know how to respond. She gave a little frown as she touched his cheek, with those glasses on she couldn't tell if he was looking at her or not.

"Eh?" The touch was gentle and caused him to grin widely. "That face makes it seem like you feel sorry for me, fufufufufu…" He chuckled at that, what a soft hearted girl. His fingers went to her cheek but left his thumb to continue rubbing her lips. "I don't need you to pity me…"

She blushed again, she never met someone who was as… hands on… as him. He honestly reminded her of herself with the way she was with Law… did he get this flustered when she held onto him like this man did to her now?... She bit her lip to try and get the tingling sensation to go away as she raised her hands in front of her as she shook her head 'no'. She didn't know how else to talk to him… She touched her throat and shook her head 'no' again.

He rested his chin on his fist, his grin growing ever wider. "Are you trying to convince me of your innocence?" He leaned in closer, enjoying the way she got so flustered by his closeness and touch. "Does such a thing really mean so much to you?"

She nodded her head, honestly she didn't know why she should care that much but for some reason she hated the idea of lying to him… well, anyone for that matter.

"Such a sweet little dove…" He touched her lips with his fingers again, his face very close to hers and he delighted as she winced at his breath near her ear. "I think that deserves a reward…"

She closed her eyes tightly as he inched closer, her heart was pounding and she didn't know what to do… This man… she had never met anyone like him and she could feel her cheeks burning. What should she do… what should she do?

"What are you doing?"

Her eyes snapped open as another voice sounded, a voice she was learning to recognize despite the man's lack of vocalization when they were together.

Standing at the entrance to the Arboretum, Akainu spied the girl sitting beside a tree and looking rather tense. His eyes scanned the area for gathering for the boy who was supposed to escort her around the facility but he was nowhere to be seen, what was she doing here unsupervised?

Coracias blinked a few times in confusion… where did the man in the feather coat go? She was certain he was just here, her body leaned forward as she touched her lips… she could still feel the warmth of his breath and the tingling sensation where he touched her face… it wasn't a dream or illusion… she knew he was just here a moment ago…

He gave a frustrated sigh; she was ignoring him again. Taking a deep breath in to calm his nerves he took a few steps towards her to close the distance and cleared his throat to get her attention.

She looked back to him with an apologetic look, he looked agitated again and no doubt it was her fault… again. She gave a little pout as she reached for her notepad… oh no! She gripped her face in frustration, what in the world was she supposed to do now? She knew full well that he didn't know sign language…

His brow arched upward as he noted her actions in looking for that pad of paper she always had with her. It was strange for her to not have it with her. "Come along." He turned slightly and waited for her to follow, this worked out well enough. He had planned to see her and this would save him the headache of dealing with Law.

She gave a nod and went to stand up, the action caused her to cringe as she was reminded of her knee. It was being such an inconvenience but what annoyed her the most is that her carelessness was causing trouble for others. Before this she had relied on Dracule to help her walk and she knew Law was going to be upset with her for getting hurt…

Akainu tilted his head a little as he saw her quick look of pain and the limp in her walk as she came to him, he scanned her over and noticed the crusted blood on her knee. "How did that happen?"

She gave a him a smirk as she crossed her arms as if to say 'Really?', he knew she had no way of talking to him right now to explain how she had fallen off of that rock.

It took him a moment to register her posture and he couldn't help but smirk himself at asking such a thing right now. If he left her to support herself then it would take the rest of the day to get to where he planned to go… He gave a little sigh and turned back to her, lifting her body easily and cradling her in his arms. He did not particularly want to be seen holding her in such a manner but if anyone spotted them he could always threaten their personal well-being into keeping their mouths shut.

Her eyes went wide as she felt her body being lifted into the air as if she weighed nothing, then she was wrapped in a warmth… her heart started to pound as her body tensed up. She certainly wasn't expecting this, she gripped onto his coat and closed her eyes tightly. This feeling of being held like this was a new one… plus, she was really high up now…

He began walking, his eyes occasionally looking down to the girl in his arms. She seemed scared… "I won't drop you." His words were firm but he meant to say it in a tone that reassured her… but speaking in such a way really wasn't something he was good at.

She peaked an eye open, still unsure of how to handle this… slowly her other eye opened as she tried to trust the man holding her. This feeling… she didn't know how to react to it… Her heart was racing and she knew her cheeks were flushed, being in this man's arms was… nice. He had this radiating warmth about him as she couldn't help but lean into his chest, the sound of his heartbeat was strong and steady. Akainu… he really is a great man…

* * *

Law tapped his fingers against the armrest of the couch, his eyes going back to the clock on the wall… Where was she?... What was taking her so long. He gave a sigh as he focused back on the book in his lap, he had been learning more sign language so he could talk to Cora easier but he planned to surprise her with it… but he couldn't very well do that if she wasn't here. He closed the book and rubbed the bridge of his nose, he was too damn distracted to focus on studying right now… His eyes shifted to the pad of paper beside him, it was still open to the drawing of them two together. He had been staring at ever since she left… "Cora… Where are you." He spoke her name softly as he touched the picture; half wishing it would come to life with an answer… he was really getting worried about her. There was no telling where she could be without a way for her to talk to people and her terrible sense of direction…

Suddenly his eyes got wide as he remembered what happened earlier, that damn Admiral was trying to get her to go with him… that must be what happened! Kizaru must have found her when she was wandering around, damn it! He stood quickly and grabbed her note pad, shoving it into the waist line of his jeans as he left the common area.

He had to find her, there was no way in hell he would allow them to sink their grubby claws into her and use her like they did to Cora-san. He'd be damned if he let them corrupt her.

* * *

Coracias blinked a few times, she wasn't quite sure when it happened but she found herself waking up on a futon. The last thing she remembered was Akainu carrying her… Did she fall asleep in his arms?

Almost on cue the older man entered the room, he had removed his jacket and shoes to get more comfortable and was carrying a tray. "Good, you woke up." He said plainly as he sat down cross legged beside her, placing the tray in front of him as he did. He was thankful she woke on her own, he was not looking forward to doing it himself and the fact that she even fell asleep was still rather astonishing. He had not even realized she did so until he had returned to his home… Such an odd girl, did she really feel so secure in his arms to fall asleep like that… No, she must have been fatigued from the day. There was no way this girl could possibly feel so relaxed around him.

She blushed a little, it was hard to believe she did such a thing… her eyes went to the tray he set down and noticed the rice balls and tea pot along with a steaming bowl of what looked like water and some smaller containers. She pointed to them and tilted her head in a questioning manner.

He poured the green tea into the cups and handed her one, setting his own aside for a moment as he placed the plate beside her. "I found dining with you to be… agreeable." He spoke without looking at her, it was almost embarrassing to admit such a thing but he could not deny that he found the previous events interesting. "I had sent Borsalino to retrieve you for lunch but it seemed you had other plans." He was still not happy when Kizaru returned without her and even less amused by who had interfered. He thought the only one he had to worry about was Law but now it seemed Mihawk wanted to stick his nose into things. Which was, honestly, a rather surprising turn of event considering how reclusive that warlord was… so why did he have interest in her now?

She gave him an apologetic look, her hands moved to sign 'I'm sorry' but flinched a little as she made the fist. Once again forgetting about the scrape on her hand.

"Let me see it." He removed his gloves and held out a hand while his other reached into the steaming water and squeezed the rag that was in it to get the excess water out.

She was hesitant at first but did as he requested and held out her hand, he pressed the cloth against her palm which made her cringe.

He gave a sigh as he dabbed at her hand to clean it. "I am not a gentle person; you'll just have to bare it." At least she wasn't making any whimpering noises. "Eat while I clean your wounds, you've been careless and they are covered in sand and dirt. At this rate you'll get an infection."

Her shoulders slumped at his admonishment, it sounded similar to what Law had told her countless times before. At least he was being nice enough to do this for her… but it did seem a bit rude to eat while he just sat there cleaning her cuts and scrapes… She thought for a moment before giving a little smile. She knew what she could do, she broke off a little bit of a rice ball and held it up to him.

He backed his head away as she lifted the bit of food towards his face. "What are you doing now?"

She pointed to the food, then her mouth and finally back to him. If he was going to take care of her than the least she could do was take care of him at the same time.

He gave a little frown. "I'm not a child, you do not need to feed me." He opened up a jar of salve and began to apply it to her hand. "Besides that, I am not hungry."

Her eyes squinted a bit as she gave him a 'You're lying' look and held up the bit of food again.

A grumbling growl escaped his lips and he gave an aggravated sigh at her pestering, she was being persistent again… with a frustrated sigh he opened his mouth just wide enough for her, he supposed he could indulge her little whimsy if it meant keeping her agreeable. Besides, there was no one to witness it aside from her and it wasn't like she thought of him as a terrifying man like the others… a fact that still bothered him.

She gave a wide smile as he allowed her to feed him then took a bit for herself, she might not have been able to talk to him right now but this was an enjoyable alternative.

"Give me your leg." His hand touched her calf to urge her to turn towards him so he could tend to her knee now, once again she complied with his order but he paused a little. She had moved in such a way that her kimono was dangerously close to exposing her… he cleared his throat to remove the thought from his head and laid her leg across his lap to allow her clothes to work as they were intended. "Your kimono… do you like it?" He asked before she fed him another bite of the rice ball and he began cleaning the scraped knee.

She tilted her head a little and looked down at her outfit, her lips curling into a little smile as she rubbed the fabric gently. It really was such a wonderful gift… and so soft!

His brow twitched, she did not give him a definitive answer which annoyed him slightly but her reaction would be well enough… he supposed. "I'm glad you like." He said plainly as he began to apply the cream to the cut, with any luck the salve would prevent these from scarring.

She blinked a few times as she thought about what he said… she thought it was the nice Admiral that gave her these but… She touched his arm to get his attention and tugged on the collar of her kimono with her other hand, the expression on her face asking 'Did you buy this?'

The feel of her hand was oddly warm against his arm and he watched it for a moment as it sat there, such a small thing when placed upon his arm… which only served to remind him how much gentler she was compared to him. His eyes met hers for a moment and he turned his gaze away just as quickly, he really did hate how she looked at him so softly. "Yes." Was the simplest answer he could give, he had no definitive explanation for buying her such a thing… it was nothing more than a whim.

She was honestly shocked, never in a million years did she think he would make such gesture. She smiled to him as she fed him another bite, a bit of rice stuck to the corner of his mouth so she cupped his check to brush it away with her thumb.

He stiffened at her touch, he could figure out what she was doing but after she brushed away whatever it was her hand stayed resting on his face. "What are you doing." He did not jerk away from her touch like he had done before, instead he let out a small sigh… what was she doing. Touching him like this, did she not realize what it felt like to him? Did she not realize what it could imply…

She gave him another soft smile as she took her hand back, the feel of his goatee with different but she didn't want to make him mad by touching him for so long. Law was always scolding her for being so clingy and she really was trying to get better at it… but she couldn't help it. She liked touching people. Her eyes went to her knee as he finished applying the cream, both of her wounds felt much better now. She signed 'Thank You' and mouthed the words silently so hopefully he would understand what she was saying.

His brow peaked a little, it was the first time she had tried to speak a word… granted she made no attempt to use her voice but still… it would at least easier to understand these small exchanges if she continued to mouth the words for him. This girl… what should he do about her? She was much too innocent to leave her in the hands of pirates…

There was a knock at his door, he turned with a grumble. Who the hell was bothering him? He moved her leg and stood up. "Stay here and finish eating." He ordered her as he left the bedroom and shut the sliding door behind him, outside of that boy he had assigned to watch her there was no one that knew of these little meetings and he wanted to keep it that way.

He left her and went to the front door with a grumble, unbuttoning the first few buttons of his shirt to open the collar. From the other side of his door came another knock that sounded more like a banging now along with a muffled whimpering sound.

Before he could get to the door it was kicked open, he could feel a vein throbbing in his forehead at this intrusion but when the man walked in holding a certain marine boy by the collar he could only assume what happened. He crossed his arms with a grumble. "I see your manners are just as lacking as usual, Law." He eyed the younger man with a glare.

Law just glared at the Admiral as he let go of the boy, he had run into Tucker on his way to find Kizaru. When he mentioned trying to find Cora the kid made a face like he knew what was going on and it only took a little… coercion to show him the way to the Fleet Admiral's home. "I'm here for Cora." He said plainly, he was in no mood for games right now.

"And what makes you think she's here?"

Law gave a heavy sigh. "Coracias!" He yelled her name loudly and in a tone that clearly stated he was not in a happy mood which was almost immediately followed by the sound of clattering from the other room. He crossed his arms and gave the Admiral a challenging look.

"Tch!" Akainu turned away slightly with a scowl, he had a feeling the tea set was scattered on his floor now. He went back to his room and slid the door open, exposing a red faced girl trying to desperately clean up spilled green tea. "Time to go."

Coracias gave him an apologetic look as she set down the rag she grabbed from the supplies he had brought in earlier, she didn't mean to make the spill but she wasn't expecting to hear Law's voice either. She tilted her head a little to see him glaring this way… oh, he was really really mad this time.

It took Law a moment to register but he noticed that room she was in… had a futon laid across the floor. His eyes went to the Admiral and how… dressed down he was now. What… the actual… fuck did he interrupt? His fists clenched as he took a deep breath, no… Cora wouldn't do that.

Sakazuki smirked as he saw the boy's expression, so he was jealous was he? It seemed the young warlord did have some feelings for the girl. He held out his hand to help her stand since he didn't doubt her knee would still be causing her pain but more importantly he wanted to put a wedge in between the girl and that boy.

She smiled a little as he helped her stand, she looked to the mess and signed 'Sorry' then began to straighten out her kimono.

He laid a large hand on her head then moved it down to cup her cheek. "I'll take care of the mess, you rest." He gave the boy a sideways glance to watch his reaction.

Law clenched his jaw, what the hell was that bastard trying to pull. "Cora, come on." He held out his hand and waved her over, he wanted to get her far away from that guy.

She blushed a little, it was the first time that Akainu touched her like that. She gave him a small smile and bowed a little to thank him for his hospitality than went to Law.

The younger man looked her over, why was she limping? His eyes stopped on her knee and third rate patch job… That's right, Dracule said she got hurt earlier... he gave a sigh as she came up next to him and he wrapped an arm around her shoulder. "Come on…" He said quietly to her and turned her away, shooting a glare at the Admiral.

Sakazuki only smirked at the boy's defiant look and watched them go then turned his gaze to the marine boy with a frown. "Clean that mess up." He ordered him as he went to sit on his terrace, lighting a cigar as he did. It was unfortunate that Law discovered them but it was bound to happen eventually, besides he did not have much time left to make his decision on separating the girl from him. Tomorrow the Snake Princess will arrive so they could get on with this gathering and afterwards he did not doubt the young Warlord would leave the headquarters as quickly as he could, especially after this… "Coracias…" He said her name with an exhale of smoke, such a strange girl and one they still knew nothing about…

* * *

Law gave a sigh as he looked her over while they walked, nothing really seemed out of place… aside from her knee and her hand… what the hell was going on today? First Kizaru tried to take her away, then Dracule actually did take her and now he had to retrieve her from Akainu of all people… Why were all these people taking such an interest in her? He felt her hand grab onto his sleeve and he paused to look at her. "What the matter?"

'My knee hurts.' She signed with a little pout, the cream that Akainu put on worked for a little bit but it was starting to throb now.

He gave a grumble as he poked her forehead. "Note…" He started to admonish her like usual but then remembered that she didn't have it, he reached inside his coat and pulled out the pad of paper then handing it to her. "Don't leave without it again."

She looked at the notebook with bright eyes and a wide smile before taking it back and hugging it to her chest, she'd definitely never go anywhere without it again. She wrote down her message and showed it to him, it felt so good to be able to communicate with people again.

"Ah." He gave a little sigh, at this rate they wouldn't get back to their room till after nightfall… with a sigh he knelt down, he supposed he could carry her… just this once. "Climb on my back…"

She blinked a few times, was he really offering to carry her? When people could see them?

"Hurry up!" He yelled at her which made her jump before doing as she was told, with yet another sigh he stood up with her legs resting in the crook of his arms. He could feel her lean into his back and wrap her arms around his neck… damn it Cora… what was he supposed to do about her? And what they hell were all these people doing showing such a concern for her? A part of him wanted to say to hell with this damn gathering, load up his sub and get the hell out of here with her before anyone else tried to take her away… That last part made him frown… when the hell did he start to care about her so much anyways? He still couldn't figure it out… all he knew right now was hat he wanted to get back to the room and far away from that damn Admiral.

 **To Be Continued…**

 **A/N: Now that all the potential partners had have a chance to interact with Coracias I hope you all are getting a better feel for who you like to end up being her partner. So please continue to enjoy the story and who you'd like to see Coracias to end up with** **J**


	5. Day 4, The Evening

Law gave a heavy sigh as he shut the door of his room, she had sprawled across the bed and was wagging her foot happily over the edge. "Cora…" He spoke her name softly as he removed his coat, dropping it unceremoniously on the floor and set his hat down on the end table before sitting beside her. "We need to talk."

She blinked a few times as she sat up, looking at him with confusion. He seemed really stressed out, was he like this because of her? _'_ _What's wrong?'_ she signed with a bit of concern.

He pushed her notebook over to her and gave her one of those 'you know what I'm about to say' looks, he did know what she signed but he had a feeling this particular conversation would have her talking with words he had no idea what the sign was. "How often have you been seeing the Fleet Admiral?" A moment passed as he noted her confused look. "The man you were with tonight, Akainu."

 _'_ _I didn't see him on the first day.'_ She wrote as she thought about how many times it had been now. _'_ _But it's been once a day since, we have lunch together.'_

So she had spent time with him on the second day, he suspected but wasn't sure… damn it, he didn't like it. "Stay away from him." He said it plainly, he saw her reaching for the notebook and put a hand over it. "Don't argue with me on this, please."

She frowned a little, that look on his face was serious and almost a little said. _'_ _Why?'_

"He's not a nice man."

That reminded her of what Dracule kept saying. _'_ _He's always nice to me.'_

He honestly doubted that, Akainu could have very well been mean to her but she's too dense to have noticed. "Have you ever stopped to think that he wants something from you?" He snapped at her a little, why couldn't she understand what was wrong with slipping away to be alone with another man.

She recoiled a bit, the tone of his voice had immediately gone to being upset and his words once again reminded her of what Dracule had mentioned earlier that day on the beach… Akainu was one of the most powerful Marines… and she… was nobody. _'_ _I don't have anything.'_

He sighed as he rubbed his brow. "You really are an idiot…" He said under his breath, putting a hand on her head he gave her a little pet. "Please Cora… If you get too close to him, I can't protect you."

Someone you want to protect… Someone you are willing to hurt others for…

Dracule's words flashed in her mind, Law really felt that way… about her? Suddenly she felt an ache in her head, she gripped her face as her brain seemed to throb and a voice in her head spoke…

 _"_ _I'm going to protect you Coracias…"_

"Cora?" Law asked a little concerned, she was gritting her teeth and holding her face like she was having a nasty headache. "What's wrong?"

Coracias frowned, was that… a memory?

 _"_ _You got my back, right?"_

The voice was in her mind again; she couldn't place it… who was it that was talking to her? It seemed so kind… and familiar…

"Cora." He said her name again as her put a hand on her shoulder… she was shaking. "Did you remember something?" The look on her face was like she was miles away, trapped in her own thoughts.

She frowned again, no matter how hard she tried she couldn't think of who that person was and the voice was gone now… she was certain it was a memory but only the words came to her and the feeling of trust… She grabbed her note pad, writing down her words and holding it up for him. _'_ _I have your back.'_

He arched a brow, what did she mean by that? Was that something she remembered? Was she telling him that? The look of determination on her face was sincere though, he'd never seen her look that serious before. "What are you talking about?"

 _'_ _I'm going to protect you too.'_

His eyes widen a little before he gave her a gentle smile and petted her head again. "Baka…" It was interesting though, she never had such a look of resolve before. She must have really believed she could protect him… somehow. He took her notebook away and laid it on the other side of him. "All you need to do is listen to me for once." He laid back and stretched his arms above his head, just had to wait a little longer for the other Warlords then they could put this damn place behind them and he wouldn't have to be worried about her all the time.

She gave him a little smile as she watched him close his eyes, he always acted like a scary guy but she always got to see him like this and she knew he was really sweet… even if he did hit her on the head sometimes… well, a lot really… and say mean things a lot… well, maybe he was only a little sweet. There was no continuing their conversation but it was most likely for the best, her hand slipped beneath his shirt and she began to gently rub his stomach to lull him off to sleep. She always found this funny, Bepo liked to get tummy rubs too but he was much more open about it.

They laid there for about an hour and she watched him sleep, the day playing over in her mind with everything that had happened… Oh, that's right. She forgot to tell him about the odd man she met wearing that feather coat… Oh well, it most likely wasn't important anyway. She got up slowly, inching her way off the bed carefully so she wouldn't disturb him. She highly doubted he'd be at all happy if he found her sneaking out at night but she still needed to see Dracule and give him her answer…

She crept slowly out of the room, not even bothering to put her sandals on since she'd be quieter going barefoot. She looked back and eyed the notebook that he had rolled over on and shrugged her shoulders… she wouldn't need it since this time and she certainly didn't want to risk waking him just to get it. Creeping out of the room she shut the door behind her and made the short walk to Dracule's room, knocking gently before opening the door. She stood there for a moment to make sure he noticed before peaking her head in.

Dracule eyed the girl with a sideways glance from his chair. "I was beginning to think you weren't coming, girl." He returned his attention to the book in lap and took a sip of wine.

She gave him an apologetic look even though she knew he wasn't looking at her anymore, she came to his side and kneeled beside him like she did the night before. Taking up the bottle and filling the glass he mindlessly presented her.

"Do you have your answer, girl." He held up the glass just a little and eyed her again, comparing the deep color of her hair to the liquid in his glass.

She gave a nod as she set the bottle down. _'_ _I'm going to protect all the good people in this world.'_

He looked at her with a little bit of shock then laughed, rather heartedly. "How ambitious of you. Is a single night all it takes to change your mind from not hurting anyone to protecting the weaklings of the world?"

She pouted a little at his laughing, she was being serious. _'_ _It's more than that. It's not just protecting people who can't protect themselves, it's protecting people that are strong too. Like you and Law.'_

He smirked at that, she was being rather amusing tonight. "Protect me, you say." He closed the book and set it aside as he shifted to look at her more. "I am the man who holds the title of being the greatest swordsman in the world, how will you protect me?"

Her brow furrowed as she thought that over… She really didn't know. _'_ _I'll… I'll figure that out when you need help.'_ She looked at him sternly, just because he was a swordsman didn't mean he could handle everything.

"Until then you should focus on protecting yourself." He leaned back in his chair and took a sip from his glass, once again diverting his attention to the drink. "Unless your definition of 'protecting' someone is to be nothing more than a sacrificial lamb."

That made her frown again, that certainly isn't what she wanted to do. _'_ _I'm going to become stronger, I promise.'_ She lifted up her hand and held out her pinky, if she promised it then she'd never go back on her word.

He arched a brow at the hand she presented him. "I have no intention of doing such a childish act…" Her pouting response made him frown and he moved his glass in front of her. "If you wish to make such a pact then share this glass with me, it will suffice."

She blinked a few times as she eyed the glass but she took it from him, her hands wrapping around it unsurely. She'd never drank wine before, she's never even held a glass like this before. It felt like she'd break it if she gripped it too tightly… alright. She brought it to her lips and took a large drink that emptied half the glass, the bitter taste made her cringe.

He chuckled a little as he took the glass back. "You're not supposed to guzzle it girl, you really have no class." He said that part lightheartedly, she might have looked like a noble at first glance but she obviously had no sense of etiquette outside of acting like a serving girl. He brought the glass to his own lips and finished off what she left then set it down beside his book. "We now have made a pact, you will become stronger for yourself and for me." He opened the hardcover and returned his attention to the story he had previously been engaged in before she came.

She smiled up to him as he started reading again, she really didn't know how she was going to get stronger but she'd figure it out. She scooted a little closer and wrapped an arm around his leg to hug it as she laid her head on his thigh.

"What are you doing?" He arched a brow and looked down at her unwarranted familiarity.

She didn't bother looking up to him as she signed _'_ _I just want to sit like this for a little while.'_ Her mind going over the day and what everyone had talked to her about… then she started focusing on the men. They were all… so much better than her; Akainu was so intimidating, Law was really smart and athletic then there was Dracule who was so dignified. He seemed like a… really angry looking prince, and they were all really powerful men… and she was just… her. She hugged his leg a little and closed her eyes, how was she going to be able to become strong like them…

 _"_ _You're so strong Coracias…"_

The voice in her mind was back, along with the pounding ache that came along with it. Why… why was this happening now?

He arched a brow as he looked down to her trembling against him, her hand clutching her head as if she was in pain… He gave a little sigh and touched her hair, soft and silky… he stroked it gently, much like petting a cat, to help calm her. Such a strange girl… but at least she was quiet.

* * *

Coracias gave a little yawn as she closed Dracule's door carefully, she had no idea what time it was now. The last thing she remembered was his hand stroking her hair and she must have fallen asleep, she woke to him nudging her and telling her to return to her room… it was still pretty dark out so she couldn't have been asleep for that long… maybe.

With a shrug of her shoulders she turned to go back to her room, with any luck Law wouldn't have woken up while she was gone… hm? She paused a moment and looked back, there was no one in the common area but she thought she heard something… her brow arched as she turned a little and tried to focus, her head still groggy from sleep made it more annoying than it should be just to focus… there it was again. She took a few steps leading away from her room and further down the line of doors, it almost sounded like someone was groaning… or moaning… or both.

She stopped a few doors down from Dracule's, she remembered all the way at the end was where that scary looking clown was but the ones in between should all be empty… she put her ear next to the door and held her breath, waiting to see if the sound was coming from this one… and it was. Perhaps it was another Warlord that showed up while she was away… part of her wanted to go back to her room but the sound seemed like one of pain… maybe… she could just check. Just to make sure the person was ok… She knocked on the door gently but there was no answer. What should she do? She could just leave it but… against better judgment, as per usual, she tested the handle. It wasn't locked. She chewed on her lip a little and pushed the door open, peaking in and knocking on the door again to announce herself.

It was dark in the room but the light from outside shined enough that she could see legs on the bed, her eyes were starting to adjust to the darkness and she could make out the body of a man but not his face… wait, she recognized the large pink feather coat hanging on the chair. It was the man she met in the arboretum and it looked like… he was having a nightmare.

She inched forward, not sure of what to do. He really seemed to be upset… she chewed on her lip as she took another step closer to the bed. She didn't want to startle him awake… maybe she shouldn't wake him at all… but… She reached the edge of the bed and touched his thigh gently. No reaction. She touched him again…

His hand shot out and grabbed the person next to him, sweat lined his brow from the nightmare of his childhood that repeatedly plagued him. With a growl his grip tightened and his free hand reached for the glasses he laid on the nightstand.

She flinched a little and tapped his hand repeatedly, he was hurting her.

"Hm?" He arched a brow as he focused on the girl. "Why are you in here?" He didn't let go of her wrist as he sat up, he could only make out a little of her face from the moonlight coming through his window but he could tell she was frightened.

She signed as best she could with him holding on of her wrists. _'I heard you.'_

He loosened his grip just a little as she tapped her ear… was she saying she heard him? He grinned a little and pulled her closer, touching her face. "You wanted to make sure I was ok, hm?"

She could feel her cheeks getting warm as she nodded a 'yes', granted she didn't know it was him but that was the purpose for coming in here.

"Such a good girl." He leaned back against the headboard and pulled her into him. "Come to think of it, little Dove, I never gave you your reward earlier."

Her heart beat pounded as she felt his other arm wrap around her waist to pull her closer, she was now kneeling between his long legs with his arms wrapped around her. He felt warm and the fact that he was only wearing his pants did not help this feel any less awkward. She shook her head no, she certainly didn't feel like she needed to be rewarded and she wasn't entirely sure what his type of reward might be. He was much more… ah… affectionate doesn't seem like quite the right word but she wasn't sure how else to put it.

"Fufufufu…" He cupped her cheek and tilted her face towards him. "What an innocent girl you are."

She knew her face was on fire, he started to lean in closer and all she could do was shut her eyes tightly once again but that didn't stop the fact that she could feel his presence getting closer. What should she do? Should she push him away? Just let it happen? What was even happening… She felt something soft on her forehead, her eyes opened and could barely focus on his chin. He… kissed her on the forehead…

He grinned as he backed away. "Where you hoping for something else, little dove?" His thumb brushed her lips as he chuckled. "I could give you more…" He shifted and moved forward, pushing her back to lay against the bed with him kneeling above her and the smile never leaving his face.

Her eyes grew wide, was he… was he talking about… she shook her head and pushed against his chest a little. That was the last thing she was thinking about, she couldn't do that with somebody she just met and she knew Law would be furious if he found out…

"Hm?" He eyed the scared look on her face, what an innocent girl this was. "Calm down… Cora…" He stroked her cheek and used her actual name… he still couldn't believe such a coincidence. "I won't do anything to you that you don't want." No, he'd have fun with this girl. He'd charm her and tempt her till she came to him willingly, he'd take this girl from Law and he'll revel in the boy's misery at loosing another 'Cora-san'… but having a little taste of the appetizer wouldn't ruin the main course… "But for future reference, Coracias…" He bent lower till his lips where by her ear and let out a soft hiss at the end of her name. "You should be careful walking into a man's rooms in the middle of the night…" His lips grazed her ear then touched her neck and he couldn't help but smile widely as he felt her body twitch beneath him. "Lesser men would have no problems about taking advantage of such an innocent girl like yourself." He sat up and cupped her cheek once again as he looked down at her, her face was flushed but she didn't look scared anymore.

She tried to calm the heart that felt like it was going to erupt, never had she ever been around a man like this. He scared her but at the same time everything he was doing was gentle… well, everything except when he gripped her wrist earlier but that was her own fault for waking him. She knew better than most about being woken from nightmares and yet she still woke him… She sat up a little and drew her knees up to sit sideways. She looked around for something to write with but his room was bare of personal effects save for a few empty bottles that she could only assume held liquor at one time. With no luck she turned back to him and signed the question she should have asked the first time she met him but as her hands moved she silently mouthed the words _'What's your name?'_

He crossed his legs as he eyed the hand movements then her lips, he tilted his head to one side as he concentrated on what she had been attempting to say. "My name?"

She smiled and gave a nod, it was difficult to communicate like this but at least it wasn't impossible.

He grinned widely, it had been a very long time since he met someone who didn't know him but it made him wonder if Law had ever warned her about him... let's see. "Doffy… I want you to call me that."

Doffy… it was an interesting name, it seemed too cute for a man like him but she liked it. She gave a nod and slid herself towards the edge of the bed, she really should be getting back to her own room now before Law wakes up…

He watched her move away but grabbed her shoulder just before she stood. "Wait a moment…" He moved behind her and wrapped her in an embrace from behind, laying his chin on her shoulder so he could whisper in her ear. "I have a favor to ask."

She could feel her cheeks getting hot again as she turned her head just a little so he knew she was listening but she didn't attempt to look directly at him.

"You play the piano, I've heard you out there…" He moved his hand down to hold hers, rubbing the delicate fingers with a smile. "I enjoy your music…" Pulling her hand to his face his pressed his lips against her wrist. "Play for me at night, I'm certain if I can go to sleep hearing it I'm sure it will keep my bad dreams at bay."

That made her turn, she faced him by sitting sideways. His body was still against hers and his face was so close… she gave a little smile and held up her pinky. She would be happy to play for him, it made her feel good to know that there was someone who actually thought she could be of use.

He wrapped his pinky around hers, his smile growing wider. "So you'll play for me tonight?"

She gave a nod then stood up, she couldn't help but be a little excited for later but for now she really had to get going. _'Good night'_. She used the combination of signing and silently saying the word to him before giving him a wave.

He watched her as she walked out of his room, her scent still lingered and for a moment he enjoyed it. Such a good girl… perhaps he could do more than just take her from Law, she'd be easy to manipulate into joining his little family and he could find her a good devil fruit too… nothing too powerful in case she got any righteous ideas weaseled into her head like his brother and Law did… but it was an amusing thought that made him chuckle as he licked the fingers he touched her lips with. "Coracias…" He was going to have fun with her.

Coracias snuck back into her room quietly, the sky would start to lighten in a few hours but thanks to that cat nap she had sitting next to Mihawk she wasn't quite tired yet. Regardless she changed out of her clothes and into the sleep wear that had been given to her on the first night and slipped back into the bed beside Law, his back was turned to her but he could hear him muttering in his sleep. She thought she heard him say her name but he muffled himself as he shifted into his pillow, usually he slept so soundly but tonight must have been a night for bad dreams.

With a gentle smile she began to stroke his hair and he responded by settling down, she wished everyone could see him like this with that sweet look on his face. Maybe then people would understand why she hated how everyone talked badly about him…

 _'_ _Don't worry about them… You'll always have me…'_

The voice rang out in her mind again, a flash of a beautiful smile and the feeling of warmth filled her… and then came the throbbing. It was frustrating… that person's face was right there. She was so close to seeing it…

"Cora?"

His voice startled her and she looked down to see one eye barely peaked open to look.

"Are you alright?" He shifted and rolled over to face her with a yawn. "Did you have another nightmare?" His eyes were almost closed again as he got comfortable.

She shook her head 'no' but she doubted her saw it, it looked like he had passed right back out. So she sunk down beneath the covers and inched just a little closer to him, laying her hand on his with a smile as she closed her eyes…. It had been quite a day.

 **To Be Continued…**


	6. Day 5, Call to Order

**Hello my fantastically patient loves, I swear I haven't forgotten about my story. I have piles of notes stashed all over on things i'd like to happen in this story but until I can get them sorted I give you another chopped up chapter (since this one is going on for longer than I planned). The second half of this day will be in the following chapter and hopefully I can mange a bit more revealing stuff about our charming leading lady but for now please enjoy this update :)**

The day finally arrived, to many of them it seemed to happen much quicker than any of them expected and for Coracias it was a sight. She peeked out from the common area to watch the last two warlords as they made their way down the hallway. Law had told her that the large man with no expression had been here all along but he was some sort of robot or something and didn't need to stay with the other warlords. She stared at him with scrutinizing eyes but couldn't see what made him a machine… he just looked like a very sad man.

Then there was the snake lady, she was beautiful but she didn't seem nice at all… but Law said she was one of the only warlords that could be trusted. He told her a little about some big fight that happened between the pirates and marines but there wasn't enough time for him to get into details. The woman was the last to arrive and from the moment her ship made port all the marines were rushing about to get things ready. Even Tucker didn't stick around very long this morning…

"Cora-ya."

His voice startled her a little as she looked behind her, he was fully dressed complete with coat and katana which she knew meant he was ready to leave. The scary faced clown had left earlier along with Dracule, both were dressed with all their gear and she even looked inside Dra-kun's room. It had been rearranged like it was and his books were missing, to her that meant once this meeting was over then they would all be on their way… which made her kind of sad. There were so many things she wanted to see here before they left…

"You're still standing in the doorway." He said with an aggravated tone, he was already running late and her standing there moping about wasn't helping matters. "The sooner I get this over with than the sooner we can get out of here." He didn't like that he had yet to see that man… if they were starting this meeting then everyone had to be here… so where was Doflamingo…

She gave a pout as she stepped aside. 'Are you sure I can't come along?' She signed with pleading eyes, the idea of waiting here alone wasn't a pleasant one.

"I'm sure." He ignored admonishing her for not using her notebook, he really had to get going. "I'd rather you be on the sub waiting for me but I don't have time to walk you back to the docks so please just wait here." He pushed by her without another word, if he didn't then she'd stand there arguing with him for hours.

With a frown she watched him go down the hall and disappear around a corner, leaving her alone to 'stay out of trouble'… she at least wished that Tucker was here so she could see more of the base before they had to leave. Since she really had nothing better to do she went back to the piano that she had to leave behind, just another thing that made her hate today… granted, it would be nice to see Bepo again. He did worry a lot when they were away from the sub, the whole crew did. She could just imagine their smiles when they come walking up the dock… as much as she wanted to explore this place more she realized she missed the crew…

Her fingers pressed down on the keys as she began to string a melody together, it was light and playful. She needed a song to lift her spirits, even if just a little.

Her music played on for a while and she found herself lost in the art of continuing the melody without repeating segments, part of her wished she had a way to record this… hm? Her hands slowed to a stop as she felt… something. It was almost as if… she wasn't as alone as she thought. She turned and looked around the room but it was just as empty as it was when Law left… no…. the more she strained to concentrate the more she… felt someone else. Her brow furrowed into confusion as she stood and searched around the room, even opening the doors to the rooms one by one but finding them just as empty as the common area. Perhaps she really was just imagining things… then she heard a sound.

Once again, she began opening doors until she came to the room that Doffy had been in and she noticed something off, his window was left open and the sound she heard was the outside world seeping in. With curiosity, she went to the window and leaned out, looking down she could see specks of people moving about but not much else. She had never realized they were this high up before…

"Fufufufufu…"

Brown eyes got wide as she heard the familiar laugh, she turned around but again there was no one. The room was completely empty save for herself…

"Turn around little dove."

She jumped a little and spun around to see him sitting in the window, how did he get there? She was just looking out moments ago, he was nowhere to be seen. Her hands went to her notebook, thankful to have it with her this time as she jotted down her question hurriedly. 'How did you do that?'

He smiled that wide smile of his, he was curious as to how she knew he was out there but it seemed she didn't know who she had been looking for. "You never looked up, little dove." He waved her over as he chuckled again. She was interesting indeed, he had planned to go to that silly meeting but he still did not like the idea of seeing Law face to face just yet. It had been many years of them playing cat and mouse, he wasn't ready to end the game.

She went to him with the puzzled look never leaving her face. She didn't 'look up'… so he was above her? On a balcony maybe? 'Why aren't you at the meeting?' She asked as she came to a stop just in front of him, she thought it was important that everyone be there so why wasn't he?

With a smirk he placed a large hand on her head and pulled her in closer as his other hand reached for a black DenDen mushi. "I didn't think it was fair to leave you out." He lied. He still planned on listening in on the meeting but didn't expect to be found by the curious little girl. "Do you know what this is?" He positioned her so she stood between his legs, back facing him as he wrapped his arms around her and held up the little snail for her to see.

Her cheeks were burning, it was warm in his arms but it felt so strange standing like this with his face so close to her ear. She could feel his breath against her cheek as he talked and his body pressed against hers… it was so embarrassing but at least Law wasn't here to see this. Oh, he would be so mad. She shifted her focus to the little snail he held in front of her, trying her best to ignore his engulfing position. She had seen these snails before on the sub but never just a small little black one. She shook her head and held up the notepad for him to read 'Is it a special snail?'.

"Oh yes, this little one will let us hear everything that's going on in the meeting. As if we were there ourselves." With another chuckle he turned it on, he could only imagine the first thing that will be up for discussion.

* * *

"Where the hell is Doflamingo!" Akainu growled through clenched teeth. He had been the first of the Warlords to arrive and had been curiously staying under the radar the entire time but now he had the audacity to not even show up to the damn gathering!

Law tapped his finger idly against the table with a frown, he wasn't wanting to see that man face to face just yet but even he found it odd that he didn't show up considering he figured Joker would be dying to confront him after so long.

"He's always done as he pleased." Tsuru said with a sigh, it was aggravating but even they had their hands tied when it came to dealing with a member of the celestial dragons. Former or not. "We can't waste any more time than what we already have." Nearly twenty minutes had passed since they all gathered and still he hadn't shown up so she doubted he would at all.

"Why did you summon us here." Boa said with a huff as she crossed her arms, she did not like being threatened from her home by loss of her Shichibukai status should she refuse to attend and she liked it even less that she was being made to wait. "My time is much more valuable than any of you." Especially since this meeting was taking her away from her beloved Luffy.

"Quiet." Akainu shot her a glare as he folded his arms, he hated giving in to that pompous ass but they really didn't have the time to waste, it was bad enough it took this long to gather everyone. "You're being called on like the good government dogs you are…" He smirked a little as the snake princess and Law stiffened at their less than glorious title. "To search out and eradicate a particular pirate group."

Law tapped his fingers against the table with a frown, he was no assassin and while he didn't have any particular issue with dismantling a man or… more. He had no taste for outright murder. "And why is it that the World Government can't handle a little pirate uprising, you're no stranger to genocide…" The glowering scowl that adorned the Fleet Admiral's face made him smirk a little, see Akainu? He can be just as good at pissing people off. "Or has your run ins with that Mugiwara boy made the Navy scared of pirates again."

"Careful Trafalgar." Tsuru warned him. She knew he was purposely trying to goad Akainu into losing his temper, for whatever suicidal reason he had. "It hasn't been forgotten that you helped Monkey D. Luffy escape from the War of the Best." She shot Boa a sideways glance. "We haven't forgotten any of the actions taken that day." She shifted her eyes to Akainu, praying that he remains calm. The last thing they needed was for a fight to break out here and have even more issues to deal with. "Besides, Trafalgar, this particular pirate crew should interest you."

The younger man's face remained stoic but there was a part of him that was a little intrigued, if not disturbed by the unnerving look the old woman was giving him. "And why would I care about a pirate group I've never met?"

"Considering you're the one that cleaned up their last mess." Akainu tossed a folder onto the table, its contents spilling out along the hard wood to scatter in front of all the warlords. "The island where you found the girl was their doing." Even he was surprised to learn of such a coincidence, was it providence that the girl would be brought to them just as they were to take action against these particular pirates?

Law eyed the pictures and reports that were spread out, it indeed was the island he found Cora on but he couldn't find any evidence of pirates when he was there. There were only a few survivors but after his crew helped to patch them up they left, the fact that Cora wandered onto his ship was a complete fluke as well so there was nothing he found predominantly important.

"This still does not explain why we are needed to deal with a band of unruly children." Dracule had begun reading a report that slid close to him, his attention diverting from the paper long enough to ask his question before he continued reading. The incident he was looking at was old, from many years ago on some small island in the west blue. Many of the islanders were killed but by some miracle there was another pirate group already on the island that fought the invaders off… what he found disturbing though was, according to the current report he had been reading, these pirates were after only women.

"For that matter, These attacks have happened all over the world." Boa said with a sigh as she lazily eyed a paper, everyone she had picked up was from a different part of the world. The south blue, the grand line, the new world. It seemed there was no place that had gone untouched by these marauding brigands. "Why do you suddenly care now?" She tossed the paper away in boredom, not particularly interested in any of this any more than when it was first brought up.

Law was still not convinced that any of this should matter to him, just because these people happened to attack the in the slightest."

Tsuru crossed her arms as she gave him yet another stern look. "It matters because these pirates have only one constant to their action, they have attacked the wealthy and poor and hit islands in all the oceans with no seeming direction but all have them same result."

After a moment of silence Law decided to take her bait, he didn't want to seem interested but he had to admit that curiosity was getting the better of him. "And that would be?"

"No survivors." Akainu said plainly. "They attack an island like a swarm and wipe out everyone, starting with the males. The women and girls are rounded up and killed last, the lucky ones are murdered quickly."

Boa could not help but feel the hairs on the back of her neck bristle at the Admirals insinuating words. "If these people leave no survivors like you say then how do you even know they exist?"

"Balabala Island…" Dracule spoke as he set down the report he had been reading as the others prattled on. "The only time there had ever been survivors and only by sheer luck."

Tsuru gave a nod, at least somebody was paying attention to the papers in front of them. "Yes, that island fought off an encounter with the pirate group and suffered many losses. The owner of that island has since worked with us to keep an eye on these pirates and track their movements. It's thanks to him we have as much information as we do."

"So…" Law mulled the information over for a moment. "You think I should be interested in this because Cora survived their attack… so she might have information about these… renegades." He didn't want to call them pirates, it almost made him feel like he was insulting himself. "And you want any information she might have."

"That's the general idea." Akainu gave the boy another glare, he wasn't amused by his smartass attitude in the least.

The younger man couldn't help but smirk as he leaned forward with an entertained look on his face. "I'd love to see how you plan to get that kind of information from someone with amnesia."

Surprisingly the Fleet Admiral just grinned. "That's good to know because I have no issues with keeping the girl here till we do find out what she knows."

* * *

She listened intently, never did she think that she would become a topic of discussion for Warlords and Marines. She still couldn't understand what they were arguing about as the little black snail tried to keep up with the voices now yelling at each other but it was obvious that neither man had intention of backing down.

She wished she could be of use to them, she wanted to be able to run into that room with all the answers they would need to stop those terrible people but try as she did all that came from her struggling to remember was a dull aching that was gradually growing in her head.

Doflamingo had a displeased expression as he listened to the bickering, even he hadn't heard about these particular pirates but he knew he'd have better luck gathering information about them on his own… still, for anything in this world to go unnoticed by him was impressive. Growing tired of the arguing he turned off the snail and shoved it back into his pocket, he'd always be able to get a full report later. What interested him currently was the girl in front of him gripping her head. "What's the matter, Little Dove, not what you wanted to hear?" his teasing caused his smile to return but it only lasted a moment when he realized the girl was trembling. "Cora?" He spoke her name quizzically, she seemed like she was really in pain. Did something that was said do this… it was then that he remembered what Law just said, the girl had amnesia…. She was a perfect blank slate, just ready to be molded.

She gritted her teeth as the dull pain became a piercing throb, flashes of images hit her but nothing remained long enough to focus on it. He senses reacted; the smell of smoke, the sound of screams and the taste of blood in her mouth. Then there was nothing but a shrill cry that worked its way up into a resounding echo in her mind, a memory of sound so vivid it made her teeth ache. What was this? What was she trying to remember?

A Hand on her head slowly drew her back into the quiet room, the warmth around her and the stillness of where she was. She turned a little and looked into the face of the man that had been quietly watching her, he was not smiling like he usually was. Instead he seemed genuinely concerned. 'I'm sorry…' she mouthed the words as she looked away, embarrassed by her little episode.

He simply stroked her hair. "You don't have to apologize, Little Dove." His thumb brushed away a tear that was building in the corner of her eye, he saw another tear threatening to escape from her other eye and he grinned as he pressed his lips to the side of her face, the salty taste touching his tongue. "But I can't stand to see you cry, so let's not have any of that."

His action caused her to freeze, his face was so close to hers again. He was so affectionate and she didn't know how to react. Usually it was her acting like this… did she make Akainu and Law feel this strange when she did it to them? Is that why they always pulled away?

The way she reacted to him continued to be amusing, such an innocent thing. "I think you need some fresh air." His smile didn't fade as he stood up, moving her back a little as he towered above her. She was such a small little thing compared to him and so frail looking… how easy it would be to control her and make her do what he wanted but that wouldn't be any fun. There'd be no challenge and most of all he wanted her to come to him of her own free will, it wouldn't crush Law nearly as much if she didn't.

His movement confused her as she took a step back and reached for her notebook. 'Law doesn't want me wandering around by myself, he'll get upset.' She chewed on her lip a little, from what she heard he was going to be in a bad enough mode without her getting into trouble.

"Shhhh…" He hushed her as he took the notebook from her and laid it on the bed. "You'll be with me so you won't be alone." In a swift movement, he lifted her up into his arms and cradled her body carefully. "I promise, I'll keep you safe."

Her eyes widened as she was lifted up, held against him she could feel his heart beat was strong and steady… he was so strange compared to the others but… she believed him. With a deep breath she nodded her head, she wanted to get away from this area… just for a little bit.

He chuckled as he placed his lips to the top of her head again, smelling the scent of her hair and grinning that wide grin of his. "I'm going to show you something I bet you've never experienced before." He turned around and stepped up into the open window, his arms holding her tighter as he chuckled. This was going to be fun.

And with that he stepped out into the open air, laughing at the wide-eyed look on her face.

* * *

Dracule sat quietly, the others were still bickering. The clown was making a fanfare out of being an utter blowhard in regards to pirates while the Red Dog and the boy continued their arguing about the girl. The only ones not adding to the chaos was himself, the pacifista and, surprisingly, the snake princess… but it seems he spoke too soon as he saw her rising from her seat.

"I'm done with this nonsense!" Boa spoke sternly. "I did not get dragged from my home to listen to you men bicker over a girl who is not even present. If you want these rogues dealt with then I will assist as is my duty as a shichibukai but I will not stand to continue wasting my time here!"

Her voice caused the others to pause, apparently, they had forgotten there were others in the room and Dracule couldn't help but smirk. "I agree, unless you plan to bring the girl to this meeting I don't see the point in continuing to listen to the bickering's of you two. At this point we are merely wasting time." Although, concerning the girl there was something that was bothering him… but he'd deal with it on his own.

Akainu gave a grumble as he stuck a cigar in his mouth and lit it, annoyed at himself for getting into a pissing match with a stubborn boy. "The rest of you can leave." He eyed Law with a stern look, he was done messing around with him. "Bring the girl here."

Law tensed, he didn't like this. They were supposed to leave after this meeting was done but it seemed like they had no intention of letting her go… and he'd be damned if he left her here. "I'll go get her but you're not keeping her." He locked eyes with the taller man, not backing down in his decision. "When I leave, Cora comes with me." With that he turned and stormed out of the room, still debating on if he was really going to bring her back or not… he could just grab her and leave but that would most likely mean throwing away his title of warlord… and he wasn't sure if he could even do that yet. Damnit.

The room cleared out quickly, soon leaving only the Fleet Admiral and Tsuru standing quietly. The older woman eyeing the man with a frown, it was strange seeing him getting into a spat like that. "What are you doing Akainu? Is it really that important to involve the girl like this?"

He gave a grunt in response. "I've said since the beginning that we would step in if it's found the girl would be better off not in the care of pirates."

The woman's frown did not leave her face as she crossed her arms. "Is that really all it is, Fleet Admiral Sakazuki." She spoke his full title to remind him of his position, as if he could ever forget, and left the subject alone. Turning away from him and the low growl he was producing as she took her leave as well, this girl had unknowingly been causing ripples to form and rumors began spreading like wildfire around the base. She had done her best to quell them before they reached Akainu but it was only a matter of time now. The man also was not helping himself, being seen holding the young woman in his arms or talks of their meal time rendezvous. For a man like him to be seen in such situations with a girl brought here by Trafalgar of all people was a scandal waiting to happen.

Sakazuki listened to the sound of the door closing once again and let out a sigh when he knew he was alone. What was he doing… he could stick to his story of keeping Cora out of the hands of pirates as much as he liked but even he was having trouble convincing himself of it now. He found spending time with the girl to be… pleasurable. She never showed him fear and she never tried to lie to him, everything she did was genuine and it was… refreshing to be around someone like that but for how much longer could he pretend to look past the most obvious fact. That this… childish interest she may have in him is not something that would last, she wasn't even half is age… how could he expect a girl… a young woman like that to find his company that fulfilling for long…

* * *

Law continued to grumble to himself as he walked back to the common area, he figured that damn Admiral might try something like this from how he had been spending time with her but what the hell was his motives? Cora really didn't have anything to offer… she was just a simple girl… maybe, maybe that's all it has to be about.

The thought made his stomach lurch, could that old bastard really only want Cora… for her body? Even he was having trouble believing a man like Akainu would act like that but… considering everything that has been happening… hell, it could've even been Cora that made him feel like he had a chance. She was also so damn touchy and sweet, someone who wasn't used to her could've thought she was flirting…assuming she wasn't actually attracted to him… no. He shook his head vigorously to get that thought right back out of his mind.

He reached the common area in little time, his fuming made him walk faster and he couldn't deny he wanted to get this over with quickly. "Cora!" He called out as he opened the door and looked around, he half expected her to be playing the piano but it was silent and there were no signs of her… the room perhaps? Once again he opened a door and called out her name but she was nowhere to be found in the small room they had been sharing… damn it Cora, of all the times you could choose to not listen and go wandering around on your own… hm?

A sound drew his attention as he walked back into the main area and his eyes traveled to one of the room doors that had been left open. He didn't remember anyone being in that room… as he inspected the room he saw it was a breeze from the open window that was stirring the pages of a notebook that had been left behind… no, not just any notebook. It was Cora's! He snatched it up and eyed the pages, she wouldn't have left without this. He eyed a few new comments on the first page, she had to have been talking to someone but who would be here with her… "Joker."

He said the name out loud, it was the first option that came to mind and the only one that made any sense. She wouldn't have left her notebook if she left with that Marine boy or Kizaru and Joker was the only one who hadn't shown for the meeting… but why, why would he want Cora.

Law smacked his own face at how obvious that answer would be, he'd try to use her to get to him… damn it all, he should have never let her stay here with him. He knew how Doflamingo thought, the irony of taking Cora away from him like how he took Cora-san would be too good to pass up… like hell he'd let that happen. Warlord status be damned, he'd never let Doflamingo take her from him.

He had to find her.

 **To Be Continued...**

 **I hope you liked it and as always I appreciate reviews!**


	7. Day 5, Turning Points

**A/N: Hello my beautifully patient people. I love you & I'm sorry it's been so hard to dedicate time to writing but I'll do my best not to take so long w/ my next update. Again, I love you. You're all saints 3**

Cora smiled brightly, strands of hair tickled her face as the wind stirred her locks. Never had she experienced something like this.

Held in Doffy's arms she was taken high into the air, she had no idea how it could be that they were floating like this, but she loved it. From up here she felt like she could see beyond the horizon and she was reminded of just how little she had seen of the world. Even the great big Marine base below them seemed small compared to the ocean stretched out below them.

Doflamingo simply smiled as he watched her, she had been so terrified when he took that first step out of the window. The way she clung to him and closed her eyes so tightly was almost irresistible but now that fear was gone and replaced by complete wonderment. She was so enthralled by what she was experiencing she didn't even realize the same breeze that was moving her hair was causing her kimono to become dangerously close to exposing her undergarments.

If he wasn't such a gentleman it would be easy to help the little gust to reveal her small clothes, and he couldn't deny for a little more than a moment he considered it, but with the way she moved excitedly in his arms she was practically doing it herself and he couldn't deny her unintentional provocation was becoming dangerously enticing. "Do you like it, little dove?"

She shifted a little to look at him better and gave a firm nod, it was so amazing being up here and it was thanks to him. Being with Law she was able to see what was hidden below the ocean's surface while they traveled in the sub but this… this felt more natural to her. As if being up high was where she was meant to be… She leaned into him and wrapped her arms around his neck affectionately to thank him for this, if she had to leave today then she'd be happy now with this memory.

"Fufufu, what's this?" He chuckled as she hugged him, such a sweet girl. He moved a lock of hair away from her ear so he could whisper into it with a grin. "There's other things I could show you, little dove." His lips grazed her skin and he could feel her tremble slightly, oh there were many things he wanted to show her but he had to refrain… even though the thought of taking her body while they lay suspended up here did sound like it would be a hell of an exhilarating experience, it wouldn't take much seeing as she was almost straddling him now… no. He had to stop his musings now before that ache in his loins got any worse, he had every intention of claiming her body but not now. Not until she came to him as a member of his family.

With a sigh he leaned back into the invisible strings that suspended them up here and held her chin softly. "I have a whole kingdom you could explore…" He paused, what was this threatening feeling…

Cora stiffened, what was this feeling? Everything down to her core was telling her to move…

"Tch!" Doffy frowned as he looked down and saw an arc of force coming towards them, no… it was aimed just above. To severe his strings… now isn't this annoying. He leaned forward, holding her up with one arm as he maneuvered away from the attack.

The sudden shift startled her, she clung onto his neck tightly as they moved far quicker than she ever remembered. She shifted her eyes past the incoming wave and down to where it came from. Even though they were up so high she could see the man far below them, there really was no mistaking that hat but why… why would he attack them?

His frown grew deeper as he eyed his fellow Shichibukai but his attention got drawn away as he noticed the look in the girl's eye… oh, how surprising. Where did such a sweet little thing learn to have such a scary look. Her pupils constricted to pinpoints as she looked down with a sheer sense of seething anger… now, where had he seen that look before… "Coracias…" He spoke her name softly and turned her face to look at him, once her eyes broke away from the man below them that gentle gaze returned… she is an interesting one. "Are you hurt, my little dove."

She blinked a few times, the tension in her body eased up and she buried her face into his neck. Why would he attack them… Granted, he was a self-proclaimed 'not nice person'… but still…

Doflamingo smiled, that's it… "It seems we've been discovered, little dove, and he's feeling inclined to interfere." He was less than pleased about the interruption but since they had been discovered there was no sense trying to run and hide besides this little incident gave him something far better to work with…

The golden hawk like eyes did not leave the two figures that were above him, when Doflamingo did not show up to the meeting he had a nagging feeling it would involve the girl in some way. Over the last few days he had kept track of the other man and he was far too interested in the girl, but he could not figure out why. This child had nothing to offer a man like that, she had no power nor connections and he did not need to steal away some random girl to fulfill his carnal desires so why?... What could she possibly offer him…

As his feet touched the rooftop he lowered Cora down gently beside him, a new amused grin spread across his face as he locked eyes with the other man. "That wasn't very nice Mihawk, you could have hurt my little dove."

Dracule merely scoffed at the possessive wording, so that's what his intentions were. "Your presence is required in the meeting room girl, come." He ignored the taller man and turned a bit to show she should follow him now. Typically, he had no interest in what the other warlords did, their business was their own just as he liked to keep his own affairs to himself, but he found he did not like the idea of a man like the Heavenly Yaksha using this girl…

Cora chewed on her lip, she was upset with Dra-kun for doing something so dangerous just to get their attention but the fact that she was needed at the meeting over ruled her feelings. She did, after all, want to be a part of the gathering and help as best she could. Even if she had no idea how she could help… what she did know is she shouldn't keep Law waiting, the last thing she wanted was to have him mad at her for being late… Oh no… a thought occurred to her that made her eyes grow wide. What if he had already gone back to the room to get her and found out that she had left! That would explain why Dra-kun came looking, oh no no no. Did this mean that they were all looking for her? Now Law really was going to be upset with her….

A large, growingly familiar, hand began stroking her hair and drew her attention away from her anxiety. As she turned to face Doffy she felt his lips on the top of her head and the feeling made her freeze once again. She still had no idea how she should react to his type of gentleness, but she couldn't deny that she liked it, his warmth was beginning to feel more relaxing to her and it was nice to be around someone that didn't shove her away whenever she touched them or someone else was there to see.

His lips rested on her soft hair for a moment and he breathed in her scent as he kissed her, she smelled just as sweet as she acted, and it did nothing to help this growing desire he had to toy with her. "I'll see you later, my little dove." He whispered that to her as his hand moved down to her cheek and then fingers to her lips. How he imagined those lips to taste just as sweet as the rest of her.

"Come along girl." Dracule spoke more sternly, the harsh attitude of his voice causing her to jump and expressing how very little patience he currently had to continue watching this display.

She winced a little, the tone of his voice distinctly reminded her of when Law would get mad at her and she liked it even less when that voice was coming from this particular man. She waved goodbye to Doffy and obediently followed the swordsman, keeping her eyes to the ground so to not exchange looks with an obviously upset man.

Doflamingo grinned wildly, he did not take is eyes off her as she walked away… why didn't he see it before... It really was a shame they got interrupted, he didn't doubt that given just a little more time than he could have convinced her to join him but he was a patient man. He didn't mind waiting, especially since he knew what her weakness was now and he relished in the fact that he was the only one that knew her little secret. Soon, she'd come to him without fail… there was just something he needed to do first.

He slipped the transponder snail from out of his pocket and kept on smiling as he waited for the line to be picked up.

 _What a surprise to hear from you, young master. Is the meeting going well?_

A woman's voice had answered, and the snail reflected her sly smile.

"Monet, I am having a wonderful time." He licked his lips, truly he never thought he'd be able to find this much entertainment here. "I need you to look for something for me, I'm certain I have it somewhere in my belongings."

" _Oh?"_ The voice had an amused tone to it. _"It must be something very special, what is it?"_

* * *

Cora followed Dracule through the winding halls, her mind going over the piercing look in his eyes as he aimed that attack towards them… did he do it just to get their attention or did he really try to hurt them?... she had to know. She reached out and grabbed his arm but as she touched him he turned sharply, and she was stilled by those fierce eyes of his.

"You would do well to stay away from him, girl." He glared at her and that scared look upon her face. "Or have you forgotten your oath to me?"

She blinked a few times, her oath? _'Of course not'_ she signed. _'I will get stronger and protect everyone, I haven't changed my mind but what have I done to make you so mad? Why did you attack us?'_

"Don't be so naïve girl." He scoffed. "If I attacked you than you'd be dead. I merely aimed to severe the strings above you and get that man's attention." He turned away, his agitation at seeing their display annoyed him more than he would like to admit.

She furrowed her brows and pouted in her stubborn fashion, she really hated it when people turned away from her. She reached out again and grabbed his sleeve, when he did not turn back towards her she stepped in front of him to stop him from walking.

He gave a heavy sigh. "What are you playing at girl?"

' _Stop calling me that, my name is Cora!'_ She put on her best 'I am serious' face but from the way he smirked at her she doubted he was taking her very seriously. _'Tell me why I should stay away from Doffy, what is so wrong with spending time with him? Everyone keeps telling me to stay away from this person and that person but no one ever tells me why!'_

Well, isn't she feeling tenacious today… perhaps such a fire could be rewarded with a brief compliance. "That man is a demon of heaven whose holy blood is a plague to this world." He smirked as her eyes lost that little spark of fire as she tried to understand his words. "And as for your name, girl, you have yet to earn it." He stepped around her and continued walking. "Now enough of this, it's rude to keep people waiting and it's taken us long enough." He had to give it to her, she certainly changed a great deal more than he expected in a relatively short time… perhaps she did have the potential to become stronger.

She took a deep breath, why is it that everything had to be so confusing… she jogged a little to catch up to him, but she left the conversation alone. She knew better than to keep trying to talk to him, he was even more stubborn than Law.

After a moment of silence Dracule spoke. "Do not respond, simply listen to me." He kept his eyes forward, certain her own where on him now. "You are far too innocent. You have not seen… or perhaps you do not remember the savagery of this world. By some cruel fate you have been placed here and surrounded by those that desire you for their own means. Make no mistake, you may not have power or influence, but you do have something that many men crave… and even that can be enough."

She blinked, what did he mean… what is it she had that men crave…

"Cora!"

A familiar voice called out to her, she looked up in time to see Law running up to them. She smiled as she saw him and raised her hand to wave but before she could perform that task his arms were around her and she was encompassed by his embrace. Her body tensed, he had never done this before… he always hated it when she hugged him… so why…

"Baka…" He breathed as he hugged her even tighter, he was so relieved to see her. He was certain that Doflamingo had her… "Why didn't you stay in the room… I thought…"

"I will take the responsibility for that." Dracule spoke up before the girl could dig a hole for herself. "I wanted to speak with her before she is bombarded by questions from Akainu."

Law locked eyes with the older man, he wasn't sure whether to believe him or not but at least she was safer with him that Joker… He sighed deeply and took a step back, composing himself and releasing her from his hug. "Come on, let's get this over with."

She gave a nod to Law but as he turned she gave Dra-kun a confused look. _'Why did you lie?'_

He eyed the boy to make sure he was not intending to turn around and returned his piercing gaze to her. _'Do not mention Doflamingo to Law, act as if you have never seen him.'_ He signed to her, for the first time since their meeting, and turned away to walk in the opposite direction. He had planned to leave but he wondered if he should stay another day, he was curious as to how this might play out. He had heard whispers and rumors about the past that Law and Doflamingo shared but he did not know what was true or not but the boy's reaction was enough to know that if he found out about the Dragon's interest in her than he would smother her and stifle any chance for her to grow.

While he did not like the thought of Doflamingo being so near the girl he liked it even less if she was to be coddled and her potential lost by an overprotecting boy.

Cora looked back on occasion to watch the other man's form disappearing, she did not understand any of this, Dra-kun made such a fuss about staying away from Doffy then told her not to mention it to Law… She didn't like lying to him. She's never told a lie before and thanks to this rotten feeling she knew she never wanted to again… No, she couldn't do this. Not after all Law has done for her, he deserved so much. The least she could do was be honest with him.

She caught up to him and grabbed his hand, giving it a little squeeze and continuing to hold it as she looked to him to get his attention.

He looked to her and gave her a small smile, that look told him she was worried, but he squeezed her hand just a little. "Don't worry, you're not in trouble. This should only take a little while then we can get out of here. I'm sure you miss Bepo…"

The fact he didn't try to shake her off like normal shocked her, he was acting so different right now… He really was worried about her… but that was not what she meant by holding his hand, she wanted to tell him about Doffy. She raised her other hand to stop him but before she could he pushed open the large heavy doors in front of them. She was so worried about getting his attention she didn't realize how close they had gotten to the meeting room.

Akainu turned as he heard the door swinging open but the hairs on his neck began to bristle as his eyes traveled to their hands, what game was Law playing at to be parading about like that with her considering how he kept his distance from her just a few days ago. "You can leave Trafalgar." He spoke the name sternly as he lit a cigar. "You're not needed for this."

Law frowned and locked eyes with the other man in a challenging way. "Actually, I am. Above all else I'm her doctor so if this little 'meeting' has any effect on her psyche I need to be present." Like hell he'd leave her alone with him.

She shifted her weight from foot to foot as the two men stared each other down, oh she didn't like this at all. She let go of Law's hand and stepped in between them, reaching for her notebook but frantically patted her hips and realizing it had been left back in Doffy's room.

"Here." Law held up the notebook that he had taken, he had forgotten about asking her why it was left in that empty room, but he could do that later. "Don't leave it laying around."

She gave a relieved smile and took it from him, signing 'Thank you' before she scribbled onto the paper and showing it to Akainu. 'I don't know how I can help but I want to try.'

The older man smiled. "Of course you do." He broke his gaze away from the boy and shifted it to her. "Come here, I want to show you something."

She blinked quizzically but did as requested, he had a folder laying on the table in front of him and as she got closer he flipped it open to reveal photos. She looked to him and tilted her head in a curious fashion. 'What are those?' She used the combination of signing and mouthing the words, it was faster than trying to write everything down and she found he was pretty good at reading lips.

"I pulled the pictures from all the attacks concerning the pirates behind your… incident."

"The island where I found you." Law clarified. "We discovered…"

Akainu cleared his throat and gave the boy yet another stern look.

With a roll of his eyes he corrected himself. " _They_ discovered that the same pirates that attacked the island you were on are responsible for many other attacks."

She gave a nod to show she understood, she honestly knew what Akainu meant because of what she heard being transmitted through Doffy's little black snail but now didn't seem like the right time to mention it.

"I want you to look at these." The older man spoke. "To see if they remind you of anything, specifically a leader or what type of weapon could have done this." He pointed to a particularly graphic photo of a dead man with blood coming from his ears and eyes.

She closed her own eyes and looked away, that wasn't a sight she wanted to have in her memories.

Akainu placed a large hand on her head. "You must." He simply said as the hand traveled down her hair and rested on her back, relishing the feel of the carmine silk of her hair. He knew he shouldn't be indulging his own growing desire to touch her but he knew showing her glimpses of affection would soften her. Creating the sensation of trust and the illusion that he was not the monster of a man that the world knew full well he was… not to mention he got a little self-satisfaction of angering the boy.

Law gritted his teeth, he had no patience for the type of game the Admiral was attempting to play. "Don't force her…"

She interrupted him with a sad look and wave of a hand to get his attention. 'It's ok, I can do this." She knew she couldn't keep acting like a little girl, if she did she'd never be able to keep her promise to Dra-kun to get stronger… With a deep breath she looked back to the photos, her hands going to them and spreading them out with a pained looked. So many people…

A shock of pain went through her head as the memory of screams returned, the scent of blood and smoke, clanging metal… thudding feet… a chilling laugh…

"Cora…"

The laughter stuck with her, it drowned everything out so only it echoed in her mind and filled her gut with a sickening feeling…

 _'Are you the one...'_

A voice… why did it scare her so much to hear that voice…

"Cora!..."

 _'My Masters treasured bride…'_

She felt her body being shaken, her eyes snapped open and met with black orbs filled with worry.

"Are you alright?" Law asked as he felt her brow, she had cold sweat, and her skin was pale. He didn't know what to expect when he brought her here but collapsing to the ground in a fit was certainly nothing he anticipated.

With a frown she looked around… why was she on the floor? No, that wasn't important… her notebook, where was it? She patted her hip and found the pad, flipping it open to a blank page to hurriedly scribble her message.

"Treasured bride?" Akainu read the words over her shoulder. "What does that mean?"

Law didn't care. "No more." He stood her up and glared at the other man. "We're done."

"Who are you to decide that." It was not an actual question but more of a warning, so far he's tolerated the boy's unruly actions but his benevolence on the matter was growing thin.

"I'm the doctor, remember?" He responded sarcastically. "And I'm pretty damn sure her breaking down after looking at just a few pictures is having ill effects on her psyche."

He scoffed at that. "She has to face her memories at some point, babying her won't help her or us."

"I'll remember that the next time she wakes up crying from the nightmares." Law spat the words with a bit of venom in his tone, he was right. These Marines didn't give a damn about her, she was just something they could use.

That mental image raised a growl in response, he had forgotten that these two shared a bed…

Cora shifted her eyes back and forth between the two men, Law still held onto her arm, but his grip was getting uncomfortably tight the louder his voice got in response to Akainu. She stepped in-between them in an attempt to get them to calm down, but it was like her presence went completely unnoticed as they continued to challenge each other, her free hand went to the taller man's chest and she pushed him gently. Just enough to hopefully get him to remember that she was there but neither man acted like they felt her there.

She winced in pain as the unnervingly tight grip grew into a painful clutch, then she felt another hand on her shoulder. Her eyes went to Akainu but it was like he only put it there to cease her fidgeting as they continued to argue. He didn't even look to her as he touched her as if she was just being a nuisance that needed to stay out of the way till they were done.

Then she felt it, at first it was just a warmth she assumed was from the Admirals natural body heat, but his touch began to grow hotter as his voice got louder. It was a strange sensation and not one she liked at all because the longer they stood there the more his hand burned and the pinching discomfort from Law's grip only added to her pain. She struggled more now but it was no longer to stop their bickering, this hurt… they were both hurting her and not even realizing it.

In an instant it happened, smoke rose from her shoulder from where the fabric began to burn and her lips parts to release a cry of pain. Not a noiseless movement of lips but an actual sound which reverberated in a shockwave that knocked back the two men but the surge continued pass them and the sound of cracking glass followed.

* * *

Dracule turned suddenly and braced himself, the wave that hit him was somewhat diminished and seemed to get lesser the further it traveled but his curiosity was peeked, where did that come from? He didn't know of anyone with sound abilities… perhaps…

* * *

Doflamingo paused in his conversation as his body tensed momentarily, an echoing sound that sounded like a cry reached his ears but nothing else, what was that just now?

" _Young Master?"_ Monet's voice asked quizzically, he had stopped mid-sentence which was not something he usually did.

"When you find it, have it sent to my ship as quickly as you can." He finished what he was saying as he continued to look toward the direction that sound had come from. "I'll call again later." He ended the transmission without waiting for a response, eyes still toward the Marine base… did it come from the meeting room?

* * *

Akainu looked at her wide eyed and only then noticed the radiant glow of magma lining his hands, in his arguing with the boy he didn't realize his temper was literally seeping out of him. His eyes darted to the shoulder she was clutching and the singed cloth beneath, he had hurt her without knowing and in doing so caused her to finally utter a sound… but what the hell was that? Was she a devil fruit user?

Law steadied himself and kept from falling over but his eyes were locked on Cora, his ears where ringing and he didn't doubt he'd have slight hearing loss for a while but most importantly, what the hell was that… did she really do that? Was that why she never spoke? "Cora." He knew he was talking but the sound seemed muffled in his ears.

Coracias clapped a hand over her mouth, the damage had already been done but at this point she was merely reacting. Wide eyes darted between the two men as they struggled to keep their balance now that the ringing in their ears was surely too much for them to ignore.

What was she supposed to do now that this thing she could not control had been revealed?

Damn it… Law cursed to himself, he tried to focus on her, but he was seeing double. He wasn't entirely sure what had happened at first, but he was starting to sort things out. The possibility of her being a devil fruit user never really occurred to him but that had to be the only answer at this point. He reached out his hand to grab her but he his fingers closed around air. Was that one of her doubles that he had tried to touch, or did she dodge away from him? No, she would never avoid him like that… but then again, why did all the faces in his vision seem to be looking at him in a way he never dreamed she look… at least not towards him… she looked so… Scared.

Akainu stood steadier than the other man but his double vision was still messing with him, he reached out to her only to see her back away. His agitation at this whole situation pushed his senses and the vision of two girls melded into one. He could focus more now and her frightened face was the first thing that clearly registered in his mind… Not once had she ever looked at him like that but as his gaze returned to the now red and blistering flesh on her shoulder he understood the reason why. Could he really not keep himself from hurting the one person he never wished to hurt… was he truly so hopeless?

She took a step away from them both, her own eyes beginning to blur as tears began to form, she didn't know what she should do. How would they treat her now, knowing that she could do this thing? That her voice was a terrible curse that only hurt others. Her mind was blank, but her feet took over, she turned away from them and ran out of the room. She didn't know where she was going, she only knew that she didn't want to be here. She couldn't stand the looks on their faces or the thoughts in her own head on what would happen to her now.

A twinge of pain hit her, echoing screams sounded off in her mind like ghosts haunting her. Why? Why now of all times would this happen? Coming to this place had caused the remnants of her mind to stir but she still did not know what it all meant.

"Miss Cora?"

A voice caught her attention as she slowed just enough to look down a corridor to see Tucker staring back at her with a confused look.

"Are you all right?" He gave her a worried expression as he came up to her, she was breathing heavy as if she had been running all out but this wasn't like the other times she had gone out wandering. The look on her face really concerned him. He touched her shoulder to calm her but when she winced in pain and recoiled he took a good look and noticed the burn. "How did that happen? Wow, you should really get that looked at." He turned a little a pointed down another hall. "The infirmary is that way, let me take you." He really did want to help her but part of him was really troubled now… he couldn't help but notice the burn on her shoulder looked a lot like a hand print…

She wanted to go with him but there was a fear that he would take her back to Akainu… that thought stung… was she really afraid of this man now? And what of Law… should she be afraid of him too…

"Miss Cora…" He said her name softly and bent a little to make eye contact, she looked so scared and he didn't want to touch her incase she was hurt anywhere else. "Please, let me help you…"

* * *

Akainu unsteadily stepped back and reached for the transponder snail in his pocket, pulling it out and waiting for the old woman he knew was waiting on the other end.

" _What happened?"_

It picked up before a first ring could be completed and he wasn't surprised in the least. "I want everyone in this base to find Coracias and hold her till I arrive."

" _Understood but that doesn't explain what happened."_ The snails face frowned deeply in response to the lack of information.

He clenched his jaw, he was irritated at everything. From arguing with the boy, hurting the girl and now this new development… It made him unsure and he didn't like this feeling. "The weapon that was used on that island… It's her."

* * *

Tsuru's eyes got wide, she had felt the shock wave that happened only moments ago but she had no idea what it could have been. The line went dead before she could ask anymore questions, Akainu no doubt already was trying to track her down… but what could have possibly happened to make her run from him…

* * *

Doflamingo tucked away the black snail once more with a wide grin… this… was so very interesting. He had to have her now… and he knew just how to find her. He toyed with the string he secretly tied into her hair before Dracule led her away, its length letting him know exactly where to find her…

* * *

Tucker gave a sigh as he hung up the receiver… he had to call this in and his gut was right. Something bad had happened because now the Fleet Admiral was personally looking for her.

"What did you do Miss Cora…" He whispered the question to himself as he eyed the medic screen she was sitting behind, he had been right in thinking the burn on her shoulder needed to be tended to. He squared his shoulders and put on his best professional tone. "How is she?"

The nurse poked her head out with a gentle smile. "She'll be ready in a moment, I'm finishing up now."

"Alright." Tucker nodded. "I'll be right outside." He turned away and stepped outside the door of the infirmary, his hand going to the harmonica in his pocket. He wanted to help her but he couldn't disobey his orders… he'd have to bring her back to the Fleet Admiral as soon as she got patched up.

As the marine turned and left she disappeared back behind the screen and let her smile fade. Her eyes focusing on the girl sitting on table and looking so… pathetic.

What is it about this girl that has everyone in such a huff… including the young master…

Cora sat there in a daze, still trying to wrap her head around it all. Her body still ached in the places she got hurt but her distracted mind kept her from noticing the pain for the most part. What should she do…

"You're almost done."

She looked up to see the nurse that had been bandaging her as she began prepping a needle and she pointed to it quizzically, unable to ask since she had dropped her notebook in the confusion.

The other woman smiled deceptively sweetly. "Oh, this is just an antibiotic, nothing to worry about."

Cora nodded barely hearing her as she looked away, her attention on more important things… maybe she shouldn't have run away from those two… it would be best if she went back and figured everything out…

"Just an antibiotic?" A deeper voice that mimicked what the nurse said startled her and she looked up to see Doffy crouched on the window sill as he had been in his former room but this time, Cora noted, he did not look happy at all.

A vein throbbed in his head as he eyed the needle the woman held. "Let's test that, shall we?" A marionette string attached to the nurseas that stared at him in shock.

"Ma… master, please…" She didn't think he'd come for her so quickly. "I only wanted to protect you…"

Her pleas did not help to soothe his building anger. "Don't assume I need the protection of a lowly woman such as you." His fingers twitched and forced the woman's hand to turn the needle against her neck, he did not like it when people interfered with his plans.

Cora, wide eyed and confused, slipped from the table and went to him. She didn't know why he was here or why the woman suddenly looked so scared holding the syringe to her own neck, but everything was just too much and seeing him gave her an idea. She grabbed a pen and some random papers from a medical file close by and wrote her note somberly.

'Please, take me away from here.'

Doffy turned his attention to the girl, his eyes looking over her face and then the note… Yes, this was perfect. He touched her face with his free hand and pulled her into him, turning her away so she did not notice how the needle became buried in the insolent woman's neck and the poison that had been in the chamber was plunged into her body. The sweet girl didn't need to know about that side of him… not yet.

She buried her face in the pink feathers as he lifted her into his arms once again, she knew Law was going to be upset with her for leaving but she needed time to figure things out… just a little while.

"Don't worry, my little dove… I'll keep you safe." He kissed the top of her head again, playing on her insecurities and doubts. He couldn't have imagined how perfectly this could have played out for him, all that was left was for the young Law to know who it was that took his precious Cora… if only he could get a picture of that exact moment of realization on the boy's face. He'd have it framed and mounted in his dining hall.

* * *

Dracule watched from across the compound, the other warlord was much too far away for him to interfere again and he wasn't entirely sure he would if he could.

He had made his attempts to lead the girl to the proper path but now it was up to her to decide. "Will you keep you word to me girl… or be lost the heavens…" He spoke quietly as he watched the pink blur disappear into the distance to some unknown location he is certain the heavenly demon arranged beforehand.

No, he would not interfere with her again. With that he turned away, he had no desire to stay in this place longer and he had pirates to hunt after all.

"Earn your name, girl."

It was the final thing he said as his formed disappeared into the shadows of a stairwell, it would be a long while before he returned to this place.

* * *

Law tore apart his cabin, as soon as he got his senses back he bolted to his submarine. Cora could be anywhere, and this damn base was too big to search on his own… where is that damn thing!

He threw books out of his way and turned his bed over with a frustrated growl… "There!" He saw the small manila envelope that had been stashed under the mattress and snatched it up quickly, tipping it out he caught the small blank paper that slid out. He never thought he'd have to use her vivre card since she was always at his side but he was thankful it had been made…

"Captain…"

He turned to see Penguin standing at his door with a very worried looking Bepo. "It's fine, I found her card…" He held it up for them to see but their faces didn't change. "What's the matter?"

"This was laying on the deck." Penguin held up an envelope. "It wasn't sealed so I looked inside… and…" He sighed and held it out, he wasn't sure what it meant but it was too soon after the girl's disappearance to just be a coincidence. "Take a look."

Law couldn't help but feel a churning as he took the envelope, he saw it partially sticking out before he even opened it and her stomach lurched… In the envelope was a very familiar pink feather…

 **To Be Continued…**

 **A/N: And w/ that Mihawk has been taken out of the running, not a lot of people favored him, but I think I'll make another story for him once I get all my other ones managed :P Thank you to everyone that has been patiently waiting on me to update.**

 **I wish I had more time to dedicate to writing but alas my work schedule is uber demanding but if you'd like to help me make writing more of a full-time thing & not just a 'when I have free time' hobby then I'd really appreciate a small donation via buying me a coffee at /wanderingrat **

**No pressure or expectations on donations, I'm still going to do my very best to bring you all updated stories & good times as soon as I can 3**


	8. Day 5, Confusion

**A/N: I'm obligated to warn that there is a citrusy moment in this chapter, nothing graphic or vulgar, just a hint of lime really.**

 _Screams… Her ears were filled with the sound of screams. Her body felt hot… fire, the village was on fire… no… the whole island was burning…_

 _Laughter, it stood out above the screaming. A man's maniacal laughter, so close… hot breath against her ear. A suffocating weight pinning her down, sharp pain… she was being cut. The sting was swift, but the ache was forgotten when the sound of ripping fabric came about… her clothes were being torn. Ripped away from her, exposing her…_

 _Then there was only one sound, one sensation. A shrill cry that shook her core, a pulsing vibration that stilled her own heart._

 _She was screaming…_

Cora's eyes shot open, her body jolted, and she sat up quickly… silence. The room she was in was dark and still. That place of nightmares was just a terrible memory… but where was she? It took a moment, but she felt the subtle shift of the room, a gentle rocking that reminded her of being on a ship… but how? Then she remembered the most recent events, she had left with Doffy and must have fallen asleep in his arms… she seemed to have a habit of doing that…

She touched her shoulder and was reminded of the reason why she left with him, the bandage was still there and so was the pain… she looked at the burned fabric and felt a little sad that the fine kimono she had been given was now ruined… by the same person that gave it to her…

Her eyes started to burn, the familiar sensation of tears returning, and she fell back into the lush blanket and pillows that she had been laid in. Her hands going to cover her face as she fought back the need to cry… she didn't even know what he should do now… Law must be so worried…

The door creaked open and she jumped a little at the sudden intrusion, hurriedly she wiped away the tears she had been shedding as she sat back up.

"Little dove." Doflamingo spoke softly as he walked in, he could see her just fine in the dim light of the room and could clearly see how upset she was… perfect. "How are you feeling?"

She offered up a weak smile and reached for her notepad… her hand patted the empty bed. Oh… that's right, she lost it. With an apologetic look she turned back to him, unsure of how to convey everything she was feeling right now.

He smiled at her as she looked up to him so sadly. "You don't need to answer, I can tell." He sat beside her and touched the burned fabric gently. "Does it hurt?"

She winced a little out of reaction, expecting him to touch the burn but he didn't. He was being so gentle…

Doffy frowned a little, he found he did not like seeing her lovely skin marred in such a way… nor did he like seeing her in such a shabby outfit. His hand moved to her back and undid the bow of her obi expertly…

Her eyes widened a little as she realized what he was doing, the tight band around her waist loosened and her hands went to hold the fabric against her, not to shield her modesty but to protect the photo that she always carried from being exposed.

"Hm?" He looked down and noticed her clutching something at her waist. "What's this?" He touched her hands, but she only held onto it tighter, it wasn't like her to be such a disobedient girl. "Cora…" He placed a finger on her chin and drew her eyes up to his. "Don't keep secrets from me little dove, after all I've done you don't trust me?"

Those words stung a little, he had been good to her ever since they met… surely, she could trust him with this precious thing… She took a deep breath and pulled out the picture, handing it to him carefully.

He took it and eyed the figures for a moment, a wide smile returning to his face when he took note of the woman standing with her… he was right. "Kite…" He gave a deep chuckle as memories flashed through his mind.

Cora heard him speaking the name, did he look at the names` written on the back? She didn't think he did… but how… _'Do you know her?'_ She signed and silently spoke the words with a questioning look.

Doffy carefully set the picture on the end table. "Later, my little dove." His hand returned to the obi and pulled it away, letting the fabric fall to the floor. "First we must do something about your appearance, I don't like seeing you in such a ruined outfit."

She had momentarily forgotten he had begun undressing her and her cheeks began to redden as he continued, she didn't know what to do. How should she react? This was so embarrassing, but would it be ok to tell him to stop after all he's done? Did she owe him this? Whatever this was…

Large hands pulled her kimono open just enough to slip the fabric off her shoulders, she wasn't trying to stop him and that made him smile. Such a good girl… "Are you scared of me, my beautiful dove."

That shocked her, she had never been called beautiful before… she couldn't remember ever being given a compliment like that… Did he really think… she was beautiful? Nice words aside… she nodded her head a little, she was scared… she didn't think she was ready for what it felt like he wanted.

Her response only caused his smile to widen, her submissive nature aroused him more than he could have expected. He leaned her back, pleased that she didn't resist him, and leaned over her… how easy this would be…

She blushed heavily but let him move her cloths away, she could feel the chilled air on her bare stomach, but he did not fully expose her. The edge of her kimono still covered her breasts and her panties stayed hidden… just barely.

"I won't do anything you don't want me to." He whispered in her ear and chuckled at the way she shivered, every touch made her quiver and she trembled as he grazed her neck with his lips. He was having almost as much fun teasing her as he expected claiming her would be.

Her heart was pounding so heavily that it hurt, he would let her make the choice… it should always be her choice… but what did she want… Her body was reacting to the things he was doing but… did she really want him to be the one doing it… his hand on her cheek brought her attention back to him.

"I'm sorry…" He lied. "I shouldn't pressure you…" He sat up and traced her lips gently. "You need time to process it all, don't you, my beautiful dove…" Truthfully, he'd have to prepare her body to accept him anyways and the things he would do to her… he was certain he could make her sing at his touch but with that voice of hers he'd have to figure out how to make sure he wouldn't lose his hearing in the act. That reminded him of something… he wondered if he still had that item…

"I brought an outfit for you." He pushed that thought aside for the time being and motioned towards a small bundle at the foot of the bed that had been laying there since he first carried her into his room. "Put it on and meet me in my study, I have something I want to show you." With that he moved away and stood with his back to her, through his own fault he had an aching in his groin that needed dealt with.

She continued to lay there for a moment even after he left the room, her mind trying to grasp at these events and what she should do… she rolled to her side and touched the cold sheets, it had been a while since she woke up in a bed alone and that thought made her miss Law… was he worried about her? Was he mad?... He always treated her like she was a nuisance, but these last few days seemed different…

With a silent sigh she shook her head, she shouldn't worry about it right now. Doffy was waiting for her and she still wanted to ask about how he knew the woman's name from the picture. She left her ruined kimono on the floor and picked up the dress he left for her. It wasn't like anything she had seen before; the fabric was thin but incredibly soft and the style… she really didn't know what it was. All she ever wore was her kimono, this was a longer dress with a deeply plunged neckline and open back. Not to mention a slit up the side that was dangerously high. It seemed like something an elegant lady would wear… and it had such a weird pattern of pink and white stripes with black polka dots…

She slipped into it carefully, afraid that she might rip it, and smoothed the fabric out… it really was a lovely dress, if you ignored the pattern, but she wasn't sure if she liked it all that much, it was tight on her upper body but flared out at the hips.… no matter. It would be rude to say anything about it…

"Don't you look lovely."

A female voice startled her, and she turned quickly, in the doorway stood a beautiful woman with green hair and a strange smile.

"The young master told me about you, don't worry, I brought this notebook for you." She took a few steps in and held up the pad for the young woman to take. "I also came to help you get presentable."

Cora took the notebook with a relieved smile, it was reassuring to have a way to communicate again.

"Come now." She turned her to sit down on the bed and produced a brush to tend to the girl's hair. "My name is Monet by the way, I'll be here for a little while if you need anything."

' _Thank you'_ She wrote as the woman began to comb out her hair, she wondered who she was… she was certainly beautiful. _'What are you doing?'_ She asked as the woman began styling her hair into some sort of bun, it felt a little odd. She never put her hair up like this.

Monet smiled a little. "I'm putting your hair up, the young master likes seeing a woman's neck. Don't you want to look appealing for him?"

She blushed at that, she thought he already found her appealing and it didn't seem like she was going to have much of a choice in the matter because the woman went right back to it. She did, however, have another question that came to mind. _'Why do you call him young master?'_

The other woman gave a chuckle. "Because that's who he's always been, he's such a modest man. He hasn't told you anything about himself, has he?"

Cora simply shook her head, come to think of it, she really didn't know anything about anyone… Not even Law & certainly not Akainu…

"The young master is a King." The wide-eyed response made her pause long enough to offer up another giggle. "This dress you're wearing came from his country, Dressrosa."

She looked again at the dress, now she really couldn't say anything about it. _'What kind of place is Dressrosa?'_ And what type of King could possibly be interested in a girl like her… this didn't help to ease her mind at all.

She gave a nostalgic little sigh as she set down the brush. "It's the country of Love, Passion and Toys…" She leaned down and with a scandalous tone added. "So, you can imagine what type of man it would take to rule such a country."

That caused her to blush yet again, so that's why he seemed so much more affectionate towards her than any other man has been… which didn't help to ease her anxiety at all.

"Finished, now let's go so we don't keep the young master waiting any longer."

Cora simply nodded and followed the woman out of the room, her bare feet being chilled by the wood and it helped to distract her thoughts. No matter how hard she tried to push the memories aside she kept think about Law and Akainu, the way they argued and how they both forgot she was even there. That's what really hurt her the most, her arm and shoulder did ache, but her heart hurt even more… how could they forget her while she was standing right there?

"Here we are."

The woman's voice drew her out of her musing and back to reality, they had come to a stop not far from the room she had been in and she could hear a soft music coming from inside.

Monet knocked on the door and opened just a little. "Go on inside, he's waiting for you." She turned and left the young woman, she had a few things of her own needing done before she left to return to Punk Hazard.

She nodded and waved goodbye to the woman, wondering just a little on if she'd ever see her again. Closing the door behind her she padded carefully into the room and looked around, there were books scattered everywhere and the soft music was coming from a recorder near a reclined chair. That is where Doffy sat with a book open in his lap.

He looked up and smiled at her. "You look good, my beautiful dove." He closed the book momentarily and motioned for her to come to him.

Obediently she went and took his outstretched hand, she wished she knew why it was so easy to fall into his motions. Even as he pulled her into his lap it was as if she knew it was where she should be…

He traced the line of her spine with his fingertips and smiled as she arched her back a little, he liked the way her smooth skin looked but his eyes took note of the purple bruise on her arm. He did not notice it before because of her kimono. "Where did this come from?"

She blinked a few times as she eyed her arm, she didn't realize that he had left a mark… _'Law grabbed my arm but I'm sure he didn't mean to hurt me'_ It felt odd having to defend him like this…

He frowned deeply, between the burn and this bruise he was not happy. He was not fond of the idea of anyone harming her… "This upsets me…" He admitted to her with complete sincerity as he continued to glower. "I do not like the idea of anyone hurting you, for any reason." Surprisingly he was not lying in the least. "You are my family Cora and I will not tolerate you being hurt for any reason. No one will harm you or laugh at you and if they dare then…" He merely grinned. "No one would even dare."

Her eyes got wide, the tone in his voice seemed so serious and scary but she had to admit that… she believed him. _'What did you mean, by calling me your family?'_

Pushing his thoughts of maiming aside his smile returned. "That is what I wanted to show you my dear." He reached for the book he had been eyeing as she walked in and handed it to her. "Look through this, you'll find a surprise." He returned to stroking her back as he reclined a little, he wanted to see her reaction to finding out this little secret.

She gave him a confused look but took the book and opened it, it was actually a photo album… she turned the pages slowly, not yet recognizing the strange people in it. There were eccentric people she'd never seen before, a slim woman with orange hair & odd glasses… This one was of a tall man with a beard… oh? _'Is this you?'_ She mouthed the question as she pointed to a photo of what she believed to be a younger Doffy wearing a nice suit.

"Yes… many years ago." He grinned as his hand moved to trace her jaw line. "Do I really look so different?"

Once again, she blushed but jokingly she raised her hand and made a 'just a little bit' motion.

That made him laugh, he liked seeing a playful side of her. "Keep looking, all of these pictures were taken by the same person but there's a few with her in it."

She tilted her head quizzically, why would that be important? Still, she continued to flip through the pages… and then she saw it. About halfway through the book was a photo of the younger Doffy and a familiar looking woman, a corner of the picture had been torn off, but it looked at one time there were three people in the photo. It looked like a surprise picture, the woman must have held the camera out at arm's length to get them all in the photo and Doffy looked confused.

Normally such a silly looking picture would make her smile, but her eyes stayed focused on the woman with carmine colored hair… she knew that face, she knew it so well because she stared at it every day. It was the woman from her own photo, the woman named 'Kite'.

Doflamingo reveled in that wide-eyed look of hers. "I know the marines tried finding out about her, but their mistake was trying to find a woman with the family name of 'Kuren'." He explained to her. "But she has not gone by that name in quite a while…" He paused for dramatic effect and chuckled at her eager look. "Her name is Kite Donquixote and she is your sister."

* * *

Another vase shattered against the opposing wall as tempers continued to rise.

"How the hell can you tell me no!" Law yelled to the marines that had gathered in Akainu's office. It was only the Fleet admiral, the old woman and that lazy faced bastard but he didn't care who it was at this point. He slammed the pink feather down on the desk and glared at the man sitting there with a stoic look. "Doflamingo has taken Cora and you want to tell me I can't go after her?!"

Tsuru let out an exasperated sigh. "There is no telling if he actually took her Trafalgar." Granted, even she didn't fully believe those words.

"I agree Law-kun, from what you told us she was quite distraught." Borsalino added as he lit a cigarette. "Don't you think it's possible that she left on her own? It sounds like you two made her very upset being so mean to each other." He eyed is old friend with a lazy smile.

"Regardless." Sakazuki finally spoke. "We can not have two warlords out right fighting with one another. No matter the reason." Even as he said that he was doing his best to reign in his seething anger, he had been so focused on the boy that he never considered that pink fluff would make a move like this. He had no doubt that Doflamingo took her, he kept it off the records about the nurse that had been found murdered. A particular woman he expected was one of that man's agents… but why kill her?

Law gritted his teeth but even he couldn't deny going after Doflamingo would be suicide right now, he still had a plan to take him down, but it was no where near ready to act on… but what else was he supposed to do… He couldn't let that man take her away. He couldn't lose his Cora twice in a lifetime…

"Leave this matter to us." Akainu sat back, folding his arms across his chest as he did. "After all, you have a task that you should be focusing on right now like the good government dog that you are."

The younger man gritted his teeth, did they really expect to eagerly go out to sea like the other warlords and be their personal assassin for some rogue pirates at a time like this?

"After all." The Fleet Admiral gave a bit of a smirk. "You said yourself that she was not a lover or member of your crew, so it's my understanding she's just a girl that doesn't belong to you."

Law gave a threatening growl as he glared into the other man's eyes. "She doesn't belong to you either." He spoke through clenched teeth but turned away and stormed out of the room. Trying to argue with them was a lost cause, he should have known better than to even try but he couldn't not make the attempt… but now what was he supposed to do?

The three marines watched him leave and only after he slammed the door unnecessarily loud did two of them give exasperated sighs. "What do you think we should do Sakazuki-kun?" Borsalino asked. "You know Law-kun won't let this go, neeee."

Tsuru scoffed a little. "I think you should leave it alone. The girl is not important, and we shouldn't waste resources on chasing after her. If Doflamingo wants her, for whatever reason, then leave it be." Granted she wasn't particularly fond of the idea of just handing her over to a man like him but on a professional level it really wasn't any of their concern.

Akainu gave a grunt and turned away from them, walking to his window and lighting a cigar. "Focus on the rebel pirates and make sure the other Shichbukai are doing what they're told."

"Ooooh, and what about little hana-neee?"

"That's not a matter the marines need to waste their time on." He exhaled a large cloud of smoke and waved them off. "Now go, I don't want to discuss this matter any further."

Kizaru just smiled and gave his friend a wave. "Alright then Sakazuki-kun. I'll see you later, neee."

Tsuru did not offer a gesture or any words, damn stubborn men and their foolish pride.

He waited by the window, listening to their feet shuffling across the floor and the door being opened and subsequently closed. It was not a matter for the marines to waste their time on, but he had more than enough to spare for the matter. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a transponder snail that wore a strange but familiar set of sunglasses. Unlike Law, he had no intention of taking 'no' for an answer.

* * *

Doflamingo sat, thoroughly amused as he watched her sorting through the photos. She had pulled out all the ones with Kite and was attempting to sort them out…

 _Purupurupuru…_

Hm?... He arched a brow at the end table drawer where the ringing was coming from. Now who could that be…

 _Purupurupuru…_

He opened the drawer an eyed the numerous transponder snails inside, which one was it… then he saw the open eyes of a particular snail wearing a marine cap. He picked it up and shoved it into his pocket to dull the sound. "Cora, I'll be right back."

She looked up quizzically but he didn't give her time to respond, she saw only his back as he was walking out the door.

 _Purupuru…_

"How can I be of assistance, Fleet Admiral Akainu." Doflamingo grinned widely, he was honestly surprised it took him this long to contact him.

" _No games, bring the girl back."_ Came the simple gruff response.

"And what if she doesn't want to come back?" Doffy grinned a little. "From what I've seen she's safer here with me than with either of you." He made mention of Law and knew full well Akainu would know of who he was talking about. "After all, unlike you two, I've never hurt her."

* * *

Sakazuki gripped the snail so hard he could hear its shell starting to crack. "If you don't bring her back I have no issues stripping you of your warlord title and returning you to being a common pirate."

The snail laughed, heartedly. _"My dear Fleet Admiral, you are confused if you think you have that much power over me but you're welcome to try."_ The face grinned in a challenging matter and gave a short pause. _"But, I'm in a very good mood today so I'll save you the embarrassment."_ He added before the short tempered man could retaliate.

* * *

Doflamingo cracked open the door to the study to eye her as she continued to pour over the photos and he smiled again. "I'll have her back by dinner time, you have my word." With that he ended the transmission and returned to her side, how she looked so tantalizing as she bent over the table…

She blinked a few times and looked up to him as he stood there silently with that smile of his. _'Is everything ok?'_ She wrote with a little concern.

"Of course, my dear." He stroked her cheek with his thumb. "Are you enjoying the pictures?"

She smiled a little at that and turned to look at them. It wasn't much but it was more than she had ever known before. Doffy had told her that Kite married into his family, but he wouldn't say who and then there were the pictures that had been torn… _'Who used to be in these photos?'_

That caused him to frown. "Someone who hurt me greatly… which is a matter I don't want to talk about just yet." He turned a little and motioned towards the desk at the far end of the room. "Come here, I have something for you."

She frowned a little, not liking the way he brushed off the question but left it alone and went with him to the desk. He sat down and pulled her onto his lap again which caused her to blush once more. He positioned her so her back was facing him and she could feel his fingers tracing along her spin again.

He pointed to a small top drawer off to the side. "It's in there."

With a questioning tilt of her head she opened the drawer and pulled out an open ended gold bangle necklace, it was mostly plain except having a round diamond in its center and there was no clasp so she supposed it was meant to be slipped on and off… it seemed a little old too from the scuff marks and little dings in the metal. _'It's pretty… is it really for me?'_ She wrote a little confused, this was much too nice for her, would it be ok to accept such a gift?

"It can't go to anyone else." He whispered in her ear. "This belonged to your sister." He felt her jolt at the revelation, he only wished he had remembered this little trinket when he had her on the bed… "Put it on."

She couldn't help feeling a little excited, she slipped it on but as the back of the jewel touched her throat she felt a little dizzy, as if her energy had been drained… what was that?

Doflamingo grinned widely, he saw her eyes droop for a moment. He was not lying when he said the necklace once belonged to Kite but he failed to mention that it had a sea prism stone embedded in the collar, not a large one but one just big enough to dull her abilities. He let her get adjusted to the feeling as he traced lines along her back, with her positioned like this he could finally see the same mark that she unknowingly shared with her sister that reassured him of this girl's identity. Albeit, hers were much fainter and not so obvious. Two exceedingly faint scars running down her back on either side of her spine, cuts that had to be made by a world class surgeon so as not to leave such terrible marks.

Cora took a deep breath, she still felt a little tired, but it wasn't so distracting now, then her body shuddered as she felt his lips on her shoulder. It wasn't just a little kiss like he had done before though, his kisses continued, and she went to reach for her notebook to ask him what he was doing… only to have him push it off the table and grab her hand, bringing the fingers to his lips.

"No more notes, my little dove. I want to hear your voice."

She couldn't help but turn around in shock, she shook her head fervently. There was no way she could do that, the damage she could cause…

He chuckled a little, she had no idea her devil fruit abilities had been dulled. He could tell her… but where was the fun in that? "I can make you sing for me, my beautiful dove." His hand moved to her stomach, caressing it and letting his thumb stroke the underside of her breast. "Would you prefer that?"

Her face burned, he was… really talking about… doing that? There was no way she could stop herself from crying out. Why did he have to do things like this? She… She could see herself falling into him but… was that what she really wanted?

"Cora…" He whispered into her ear, taking pleasure in the way she jumped. "Don't you trust me?" His hand moved up, deft fingers making a trail on her skin up between her breasts to touch her chin, turning her head to expose her neck more. He playfully nipped at her soft skin and he reveled in her reaction.

She took a sharp intake of breath when his teeth lightly pinched her, her hand reflexively going to cover her mouth. She waited for a small shockwave, but nothing came… perhaps she didn't really make a sound like she thought…

Her little gasp did not help his growing desire, he was not used to having to control his urges like this. As much as toying with her brought him pleasure he found it was also serving to torture himself. "That's my girl…" He said with a grin. "Let me hear it again."

Again?... so… she did… but how? Her cheeks were on fire, she turned just a little to look at him and his mischievous grin that did nothing to ease her embarrassment. It also did not help matters that she could feel his member pressing against her as she sat here on his lap, this wasn't just him teasing her… he really… wanted her.

Her heart… oh, it was pounding so heavily that it hurt… could she… really be considering… this. She swallowed the lump in her throat and stood up abruptly, he did not try to force her to stay sitting which helped to convince her he wouldn't make her do anything she didn't want.

He arched a brow at her sudden movement but continued to sit and watch her as she slowly turned to face him. "Did I upset you?" It wouldn't do him any good to scare her off now.

She shook her head gently; her fingers touched the necklace and she moved her lips… still scared to try and speak but the only thing that made her feel different was this necklace… could this thing be was let her utter a sound before.

"You are such a smart girl, Cora." Doflamingo chuckled as he watched her, he could see her wanting to speak and understanding it was the necklace that was the reason for his own confidence now. "Your sister had abilities that used her voice, but she couldn't always control it, like you. So, she wore that so there wouldn't be any… unfortunate accidents."

That revelation brought even more questions up that she wanted to ask; What abilities did Kite have? Why would she leave this necklace if she needed it? Did she not need it? Could she learn to control her voice too?... So many things racing through her mind but with a heavy thump of her heart and a renewed blushing she paused on one realization… While wearing this… She didn't have to worry about the damage her voice could do… So if… she wanted…

She chewed on her lip a little, her eyes darting to the unmistakable bulge in the man's pants then back to the floor… she could… and it would be her choice… and she couldn't deny that there was a… curiosity.

Doflamingo studied her uneasiness, what could possibly be going through her mind… hm? His eyes watched her hands as she seemed to hug herself but noted how she pushed away the straps to her dress slowly, the fabric slunk a little and she held it to her chest before it could fall completely. She would not look at him but the expression on her face of being terrifyingly inexperienced and utterly embarrassed brought back that aching in full force. The sheer pleasure he felt at knowing she would willingly give herself to him right now was pure ecstasy. "Oh, my sweet dove." He placed his hands on hers and stopped her, with every ounce of his will power, from undressing further. "You're not ready for that yet."

Her eyes went wide, he really… stopped her but she thought… didn't he want to?

He could see the confused tears welling up in her eyes and he kissed her forehead gently. "I would like nothing more than to take you and make you my woman, Coracias." He reassured her as he lifted her chin, so their eyes met. "But do you really think your delicate body is ready to receive me?" He stood up, reminding her of their size difference, and with a smooth motion lifted her up to sit on his desk.

Once more her cheeks burned… she really hadn't considered that his body would be all around… proportionate. She was so stupid…

"I appreciate the desire, my beautiful dove." He stroked her cheek, grinning widely as his fingers moved to her throat and with just a little pressure he eased her back to lay against his desk. "But thanks to you I now have an… uncomfortable ache that I must deal with." She might not be prepared to take him in just yet but there were other ways to deal with the issue.

That familiar thumping in her chest returned as he leaned over her, she watched as he braced himself with one hand to hold himself above her and could feel the other repositioning the length of her dress so the slit exposed all of her lower half. What was he going to do?

"I'm not going to claim you just yet." He admired the pastel fabric of her underwear with a grin, expecting nothing different from such a sweet girl. "But as a man, I can only take so much temptation…" His free hand moved to the belt of his pants as he continued to watch her shifting expression of embarrassment, confusion and delicious fear. "Even I need a release sometimes."

She realized what he meant as his other hand disappeared, and she could see his arm moving slowly in a stroking motion… She did not look down, her eyes stayed locked on his face as his breathing changed… He was… doing that… because of her? Her hands went to her face to hide her blushing…

"Don't…" He panted as she tried to conceal her face. "I want to look at you."

Without hesitation she lowered her hands, her body… was reacting. Was watching him do this…exciting her? Was that what this feeling was? She didn't know how she should feel or what she should do, this wasn't an experience she ever expected to have.

Her hands seemed to move on their own as she reached up and touched his face, cupping his cheeks tenderly… "Dof…fy…" She whispered cautiously, still unsure of the power this necklace has and she could not help but smile brightly, despite her burning cheeks, as she spoke his name. She really, truly, was able to speak without causing harm now.

His body jerked, he did not think it would react like that just by hearing her say his name but that soft sound forced a release much sooner than he expected and the pleasurable grunt that escaped his throat even caught him off guard. He could only imagine what hearing her cry out his name might do...

She could feel the warm liquid on her inner thigh and new what he had done… but still she could not believe he would want someone as plain as her… her hands still touched his face, thumb stroking his cheek as he continued to lean over her… there was something… she wanted to experience…

"Careful my dear." He spoke towards the soft fingers that now grazed his lips. "I don't think I can stop myself if I kiss you." He knew what she wanted, she wasn't that hard to read but he could only restrain himself so far. He didn't think he'd have the self-control to stop himself if he were to properly kiss her… no matter how much he really wanted to.

That thought caused her to finally look away, it was true that she wanted to know what it was like to kiss someone. She couldn't remember if she ever had before… but he was right… maybe she shouldn't let things go too far… Granted, she didn't know where on the scale she was right now…

He took her hand and pressed his lips to her fingers for a moment before standing up and returning everything to its proper place. "We should get you cleaned up." He didn't want to ruin the mood just yet by telling her she needed to go back but with this little exchange he had no doubt she would return to him on her own eventually. "Besides, I have a few more things I want to talk to you about."

* * *

Akainu stared at the untrimmed banzai in front of him, normally this would ease his mind, but he found himself entirely too distracted by the time on the clock. He did not fully believe the demon when he said he would return the girl but as more time passed without her presence he felt an unease building in his gut. He wasn't even sure which upset him more, the delay in her return or the anxiety he felt at the thought of her not being returned at all…

A knock at his door was a welcome distraction, he stood up and lit a fresh cigar as he did. "Enter." He gave the brief acknowledgement before unrolling his sleeves and donning his Admiral's coat.

The door opened for some no name private too intimidated by his presence to even offer a proper salute. "Sir! The girl, Miss Cora, is back."

That caused him to pause briefly in the act of adjusting his cuff links. "Where is she?"

"She's in the arboretum, Petty Officer Tucker is keeping an eye on her."

"Good." He at least knew that boy would be trust worthy enough to keep her there. "Keep the area clear, I'm going to retrieve her myself."

"Sir, yes Sir!"

He didn't bother to watch the man leave as he finished adjusting his outfit, for this task he would trust no one else but himself to get her. There were still answers he wanted, like why of all people would she leave with Doflamingo and what did she plan to do now… He could make her stay, like he wanted, but could he really bear with the thought of her hating him should he force her decision like that… dare he risk giving her the option to go?

And most importantly was a question he had to answer for himself… how long can he keep pretending that her wanting to be here, with him, was really an option at all….

* * *

Law drummed his fingers against his table as he stared at the un-moving vivre card, he had been trying to figure out where she went but just a short bit ago the paper just stopped moving altogether…

"Hey, Captain."

He looked up to see Shachi standing in his doorway and gave a simple grunt of acknowledgment.

The other man took a few steps in and produced a black snail. "You were right, she was brought back a little while ago."

The Captain simply nodded, when he took note of the vivre cards lack of movements he had his men start scanning the black transponder snails for any word of her return, but he couldn't figure out why… why would Joker bring her back after he went through the trouble of taking her…

"What do you want us to do?"

Law pondered that for a moment, there were so many unknown variables right now he wasn't sure what actions he should take… except for one. He stood up and reached for his katana. "I'm going to go see her and get some answers now, prep the ship to leave."

"Is this a snatch and go?" Shachi asked with mild seriousness. None of them really knew what had been going on these last few days with the girl, Cora was what Law said her name was, while the Captain and her were holed up in the base with the other warlords but something had changed between them. Yea, she was always pretty clingy, and the Captain always acted like she was a bother but now… Something had definitely changed, and he wasn't sure if the Captain going to go get her was going to be a rescue or a kidnapping…

"I don't know yet…" With that Law grabbed the card and headed out, he didn't know much at this point but he knew he had no intention of losing her again.

 **To Be Continued…**

 **A/N: I hope you guys didn't mind the odd reveal with Cora's sister, that's to tie in another story I planned on writing once this one is finished titled 'Silence & Song' which will take place before young law joined up with Doflamingo.**

 **Speaking of our pink feathery man, I know this chapter was pretty heavy with just him interacting with Cora but fear not my Law & Akainu shippers. The pairing has not been decided yet but I will warn you that this story is almost finished so I'll be going over my reviews & messages to see who the favored man is. So I ask that you continue to be marvelous readers and look forward to another update 3**


	9. Day 5, Turmoil

**A/N: As always, thank you my dear readers for sticking with this story and I hope you enjoy this chapter :)**

Law cracked his knuckles as he left his ship, he had no time to search for her and he had no desire to let that damn old man find her first… He knew he wasn't supposed to do this here but right now, he really didn't give a damn. "Room."

The transparent blue dome spread out quickly, he knew if he sent it out to its max range most won't even realize they're in it… there'd be no hiding it from the Admirals though. Oh well. "Shambles."

* * *

Akainu paused as he felt an itching run up his spine… this feeling… It didn't take him long to figure it out. That damn boy was meddling again.

He produced a transponder snail as he spat out his cigar, he didn't have the patience for this. The moment it picked up he growled into the receiver without waiting for the person on the other end to answer. "Secure Coracias immediately!"

* * *

Tucker breathed a sigh of relief as he watched her coax another bird onto her hand, he had to admit he was glad she was back. He looked at his watch, the Admiral should be here soon. The area was cleared per his request… hm? He blinked and suddenly she was gone… no… what the hell!

The young marine began to panic as he looked around, he was no longer in the arboretum, this was the docks where the warlords had their ships docked… how the hell did this happen?!

Oh, no… "Miss Cora!" He turned on his heel and ran back into the compound, he had to get back to her. There's no way he was going to let her disappear while he was supposed to be guarding her again, he didn't doubt the Fleet Admiral would literally roast him alive it that happened.

* * *

Cora gave a startled gasp as the birds suddenly took off and her vision was blurred by wings and falling feathers, what was that just now? She thought she felt a chill but it was gone just as quickly as it happened… hm?

She looked up to where Tucker had been and realized the person standing there was no longer the young marine but instead it was Law, she was shocked but couldn't deny that she was happy to see him. She missed him badly and there was so much she wanted to tell him now. Most of all, she couldn't wait to be able to talk to him!

Law's eyes grew wide, she looked unharmed but her outfit… it was something he knew came from Dressrosa and on top of that she wore a white feather coat… everything about it was mocking him. Joker did this on purpose just to spite him didn't he… "Cora, we're leaving."

She was going to call out to him but just as she opened her mouth he shouted that, why did he look so serious… and why did he want to leave now, there was things she wanted to do still and others she wanted to talk too.

Trafalgar closed the distance between them quickly, his room was still active so now he just needed to find an object to switch positions with near the port. He could see her confused look and knew she didn't understand his urgency, but he didn't doubt there would be marines here at any moment to stop him from leaving and that's not something he was willing to deal with right now. "We'll talk on the ship but now we have to go." He spoke sternly as he grabbed her hand and pulled her in, his mind distracted by the need to find two objects relatively close to each other… there!

She blinked and realized she was no longer in the arboretum, the sound of the ocean was much clearer now… the docks? How did they get here? Before she could fully process everything she felt a tugging on her arm, law had grabbed her again to pull her towards the submarine, but he had a hold of her bruised limb. She doubted he realized he had hurt her before but that didn't make it hurt any less now.

Law gave a frustrated sigh as he felt her struggling against him. "Please Cora! Don't fight with me right now!" He didn't have time for her stubbornness.

"You're hurting me!"

He stopped dead in his tracks, his heart nearly jumped into his throat, and with wide eyes he turned to look at her. "Did you…"

"La-kun…" She said his name calmly. "Please, let go…"

Again, his heart thumped heavily, she was really speaking… he saw her face wince in pain and he suddenly realized how hard he was holding on to her. He let go and took a step back. "You can talk?" His voice was steadier than he expected it to be, he suspected that she just chose not to speak but after that shockwave in the meeting room he figured that was why… so what changed… hm? He just noticed the odd necklace she was wearing, it wasn't new and fine like the rest of her outfit… could it be...

She smiled a little. "With this I can." She touched the necklace gently. "Doffy-kun said it has as a sea prism stone in it…"

His heart sank, and he didn't hear the rest of her explanation. "Don't call him that…" He spoke through clenched teeth, his fists tightened so bad he half expected his nails to be drawing blood from his palm. He could handle a lot of things but hearing her say that name… made his blood boil.

She blinked a little in confusion, she didn't remember ever seeing him with such a scary look on his face…

"His name..." Law spoke again, still seething with anger. He couldn't stand to hear her say that name with such a happy look on her face. "Is 'Doflamingo'… Don't ever call him anything else."

Cora was going to argue but she stopped when he raised his head and looked at her… she had never seen so much pain in a person's eyes before… "I… I'm sorry…" She didn't even know why she was apologizing.

"How long…"

"Huh?" She didn't quite know what he meant.

He gritted his teeth and shot her a glare. "How long have you been with him?!" He said that louder than he meant to, but he couldn't help how livid he was, could she really have been working with him this entire time? Was her memory loss just an act? He had thought that she had been kidnapped, that Joker stole her away and she was in danger… but instead she comes back calling him such an endearing name and dressed like one of his family… was everything… a lie?

She recoiled a bit, he had never yelled at her in that tone of voice before… there were so many things that she needed to talk to him about. Things that Doffy had told her and only Law could give her the answers she wanted but with the way he was acting… "La-kun, let's go back to our room." She turned a little and pointed towards the base, she knew if they talked he would calm down. "I need to talk to you…"

"Our room is there!" He cut her off and thrusted a finger towards the submarine. "Or have you forgotten about that too?" He grabbed her arms again and gave her a shake. "Or was it all an act to get closer to me for him!"

Her eyes went wide and she could feel the tears brimming, there was so much pain in his face, why… "La…"

"That's enough Tralfagar Law."

The sound of guns clicking to their ready positions filled the air, their time for escape was lost.

* * *

"Fufufu…" Doflamingo chuckled to himself as he watched the monitor, his agent holding the visual Den-Den Mushi on the other end picked a wonderful spot to watch the whole affair.

Seeing Law look so deliciously distraught was a treat, he only wished he could be there in person to get the full effect, but it was still too soon for that.

He gave a little sigh as he touched the screen, while he was enjoying Law's misery he did regret having to put Cora through this. "I'm sorry, my lovely Dove… just bear with it a little longer." He'll have to remember the next time he saw Law to remove one of his arms though, seeing how he was so quick to hurt her arms…

* * *

Akainu stood with is hand clenched at his sides. He wasn't sure on what had happened before he arrived but from the looks of it relations between those two were falling apart… Good. "Let her go, can't you see you're hurting her." He used his best 'professional' voice, but he couldn't deny what he saw in front of him pissed him off… He did not like seeing that look on her face…

What?... Law looked down and realized just how hard he was gripping her arms and only then saw the look on her face…

"Oye oye Law-kun." Borsalino walked up with a sigh. "Look how scared she is."

Fear…Law's heart ached. She was looking at him… with fear in her eyes… With a start he let her go and took a step back, he was so angry just a moment ago… but he couldn't handle that look. No, she wasn't acting… he was just being stupid and over reacting… "Cora…"

She was stunned for a moment, there was so much she had to register. The agony on Law's face, all these guns now pointed at them, even Sakazuki looked so mad… she couldn't let this get any worse. "Pl.. Please stop!" She called out and put her hands up. "Please don't fight!"

What? Akainu eyes widened for a moment… He could feel a vibration in his ear drums when she raised her voice but that's all… Why is it she can speak so freely now but when she barely uttered a syllable last time it sent them reeling…

"Ooooh?" Kizaru tilted his head a little. "This is so surprising Hana-neeee."

"I'm sorry!" She clasped her hands in front of her and bowed deeply. "I'm sorry for being selfish and running off like I did and causing you to worry!"

Law took a deep breath, yea… there was no way she could be one of his…

Sakazuki's stern look did not diminish in the least, as surprising as this new-found ability of hers was it did not change the fact of what Trafalgar was attempting to do. "Your actions are inexcusable, Trafalgar Law. You know it's forbidden to use your devil fruit powers here, more so in an attempt to take this woman against her will… kidnapping, I believe the term is."

"Tch!" The younger man spat, he knew there'd be repercussions for trying to take her… he didn't want to lose his position as a Warlord just yet… but he would have no regrets if it meant losing it for her.

Cora gasped a little, it really was starting to sound like Law would get into a lot of trouble because of her. No, she couldn't let that happen… "Wait, Saka-kun." She mustered up her courage and stepped in between them, her eyes darting to the guns still pointing at Law and then back to the Fleet Admiral. "Please don't punish him, this is all my fault for being stupid and I do want to go with La-kun and talk to him so he's not kidnapping me at all."

He looked down to meet her eyes and that pleading look of hers, he did not like the she said she wished to go along with the boy… those words stirred an unease in his chest but at the same time he was not surprised she would choose him…

"But…" Her words unknowingly interrupted his internal turmoil. "I want to talk to you too, there's these… flashes in my head…" she touched her temple a bit, the dull ache that had been bothering her since her talk with Doffy was still there. She shook her head and returned her gaze to his again. "I know I can still be useful to help find those rogue pirates."

For a moment he wasn't sure what she was talking about, his mind had been so distracted by the thoughts of her being taken by these two rivals of his he had momentarily forgotten the whole purpose of wanting her, originally, was to gain knowledge of the island attack.

"Oye, oye." Kizaru finally spoke up as he brought a fresh cigarette to his lips. "It sounds like this might have been just a misunderstanding. Right, little Hana-neeee?"

She looked back to him with a nod. "Yes, so please. Don't let Law get in trouble for this." She was flat out pleading now, she'd never live with herself if she ruined his life because she was being selfish.

"Sakazuki-kun." The yellow glad Admiral gave him a lazy smile. "Why don't you and little Hana go have that chat while me and these men stay here and keep Law-kun company. If you come back in a better mood, then we can just put this confusion behind us."

Law scoffed at that, he wouldn't be surprised if they blew up his sub the moment she was out of sight, but he really didn't have many options at this point. "Cora-ya, I'll wait for you in our room." He gave her a little nod as he crossed his arms, he just had to trust she'd find her way back to him like she always did… and hope these two-faced bastards didn't kill him beforehand. "And I mean our real room." He added as he shot the two men a glare.

Akainu gave a slight growl, he didn't like these two meddling and making decisions for him but his desire to have a moment alone with her was overruling his pride at the moment. "Fine, follow me." He turned on his heel, the soldiers immediately parting to make way for them.

She gave an affirming nod to Law and followed after Sakazuki without another word, she had to hope that everything would work out. It just had to.

"You know, Law-kun." Kizaru gave him a little smirk as he watched the two disappear down the dock. "It would be a good idea to tell your men to power down those engines, these men might get confused and think you're trying to run. We wouldn't want any accidents, now would we?"

The younger man just gave an annoyed huff and turned towards his sub, he didn't like that man's low-key sadistic side and he had no intention of giving him any excuses. "Bepo…" He called out to the bear as he hopped up onto his deck.

"Aye Captain." The mink stuck his head out and eyed his Captain, they had been watching everything and half expected a battle to break out.

"We're staying, shut down the engines and put everything in stand by."

"What about Miss Cora?"

He sighed a little as he passed his furry companion. "She'll come back… we just have to wait a little bit." He didn't want to say if she'd stay for sure once she came back though, he felt so powerless right now but there was no denying he was at the mercy of the Marines and if they'd let her leave assuming they even gave her the choice…

* * *

Cora followed him silently, she could tell he was walking much slower so she could keep up with his long strides but still he was ahead of her. It was only now that she realized that no matter who it was she always ended up falling behind. She couldn't help but wonder if she'd ever be able to walk beside them… any of them…

"Here."

His stern voice caused her to jump as she realized that she had dazed off for a bit, she blinked as she registered her surroundings and the vaguely familiar door he was holding open. "I thought we would be going to the meeting room." She said with a hint of confusion but entered through the door of his home just the same.

"I don't remember saying where we were going at all." He kept his tone casual as he shrugged off his white coat and hung it on the stand buy the entrance.

"That is true." She said with a slight chuckle.

The amused sound she made forced his eyes to her, they had spent all their time in silence when they were together but to finally hear her gentle laugh made him feel… a little more than annoyed that it was only thanks to that feathered bastard that he'd have this chance to listen to her soft-spoken tone.

"I drew some things…" She spoke without realizing she was once again disrupting his mental musings. "Some of the images didn't stick for long but I think these might really be of help…"

He arched a brow as she produced a notebook from that feathered coat she was wearing, it was only now that he really got a look at her outfit… the deeply plunging neckline of the dress exposed far more of her chest that he deemed appropriate and the fact that the entire ensemble came from that man did not sit well with him at all. "I did not bring you here to discuss the rogue pirates." He went to her and gently took the notebook away, laying it on a nearby table before turning back to her. "That can be dealt with later."

She tilted her head a bit as she watched him, his face seemed so… distant. "Saka-kun, what's wrong?"

"This outfit…" He touched the coat with a frown. "It doesn't suit you…"

That caused her to blush a little. "I know but… I had nothing else to wear." She shifted a little a looked down, not wanting to bring up the incident in the meeting room.

With a deepening glower he moved the feathers aside till the coat half slid away, she did not resist him but neither did she look at him. His own eyes were on the bandaged shoulder that he knew full well was hiding the burn that he caused. "Cora…" With the lightest of touches that he could manage he grazed the gauze wrapping with his fingertips. "I… regret this." He was not a man accustomed to apologizing so the act itself was entirely foreign to him, but he meant it sincerely.

She offered up a small smile and touched his hand. "Apology accepted." She looked at their hands together, his being so much bigger than hers. On a whim, she moved his hand to lay against her cheek and closed her eyes. His touch was so warm, and it comforted her in an odd way. She had always known he didn't intentionally hurt her and the fact he was obviously bothered by it reassured her of that.

He allowed her to place her cheek within his palm, such a gentle action was unfamiliar to him. It wasn't a surprise that tenderness was not his forte, so this moment was one he did not know how to react to. With his other hand he stroked her hair and relished in how it felt, her willingness to allow him these actions was causing a stirring in him he had long disregarded. As a man he wanted to take her in a fashion that would fervently express his desire to have her for himself but as a Fleet Admiral he could not allow himself such brash actions considering her affiliations and age.

Cora smiled a little, he had never been like this with her before. His actions were so soothing and sweet, emitting a warmth she didn't realize she wanted. With dealing with Doffy's… interest and Law's fear she unknowingly needed a bit of calm to collect her emotions.

There she goes… looking so peaceful in his presence as if she had no fear of him at all. Akainu could not understand her, he knew she was hurting because of him and yet she disregarded it completely. Why? The hand he used to stroke her hair moved up to the clip keeping it bound up in that silly bun. "This… doesn't suit you either."

"Hm?" She looked up to him a little confused just as her hair fell around her, so… he was talking about that. She had to agree that it felt much better having it down, but it was interesting to her to know his preference. "Is this…" She tucked a few strands back behind her ear. "What you like?"

That caused his cheeks to warm and he stepped back from her, what foolishness had gotten into him. "Your appearance is for you to decide…" He scratched his chin a bit. "But should you wish to change… I prepared an outfit for you."

She blinked a few times, stunned by that. "Why would you…"

"I only wished to replace the gift I ruined." He said sternly as her turned from her, he had to stop letting those emotions cloud his judgement. He motioned to his room with a nod. "There's a box beside my futon, you'll find the outfit in there. If you wish to change then do so."

She knew he was trying to sound harsh on purpose, she didn't know why but being close to her seemed to make him uncomfortable… but something told her that it might have been because he was a little shy. "Thank you, Saka-kun." She said with a smile as she walked past him, glad that he was kind enough to replace the kimono. "I won't be long." With that she entered his room and shut the door, while it was kind of Doffy to give her this dress it wasn't something she felt comfortable in.

He brought a cigar to his lips, lighting it and relishing in the flavorful smoke that filled his lungs. He was being a fool and his own actions were nothing but shameful… when she finished changing it would be best to go over those sketches and be done with this encounter… even if the thought of asking her to stay still gnawed at him. How could he word it to not make it sound like he wanted her to remain because he wished to continue being in her presence…

* * *

With a little sigh she sat down on his bedding, what was she supposed to do? So much about her life had changed since coming to this place… she no longer acted like a starry-eyed child but there was still so much she needed to wrap her head around. She was terribly confused before and with all the things Doffy told her it just made it worse, then there were Dra-kun's words that stuck with her…

' _You do have something that men crave…'_

At the time she had no idea what he meant but spending that time on Doffy's ship gave her an idea… Did Sakazuki want to do to her the same things that Doffy did?... No, he didn't seem like that kind of man, but she also couldn't convince herself that all he wanted was help with the rogue pirates. If that was the case, he wouldn't have stopped her from talking about those pictures she drew…

Again, she breathed a sigh as she opened the box he had laying there, perhaps it would be best not to think on it too much. Her attention turned to the fabric in front of her as she pulled out the new kimono, it was in the style she liked but the colors were not a soft pastel like last time. It was silk dyed navy blue, accented with gold and a black obi, it was breathtakingly beautiful, but she couldn't help but wonder how much he spent on it…

She slipped out of the long dress and feathered coat but took care to fold them up nicely, even if she didn't care much for them it would still be rude to treat them poorly. With a smooth motion she pulled the kimono on, the cool cloth making her shiver a little, but it felt nice to have it against her skin. She brought it around her with a heavier sigh, no matter how much she tried not to think about it she couldn't help wondering how Sakazuki felt about her… or how she felt about him. She had heard the occasional whispers around the base about how ruthless he could be… and from getting a hint of his temper from arguing with Law she really could see it… but when they were alone like this… he might have been a bit stand-offish, but he was generally kind to her…

A heavy knock at the door startled her and she turned quickly but her feet tangled and slipped in the clothes she had folded at her feet and her body took an unceremonious decent to the floor.

* * *

"Cora?" Sakazuki arched a brow as he heard a heavy thud coming from behind the door, he had knocked because she was taking quite a while but what was going on now? Without a second thought he slid the door open and paused as he eyed her, sitting in a disheveled mess of jumbled cloth with the kimono he got for her falling off her shoulders resulting in her breasts being dangerously close to exposure. "I heard a crash." He turned his head away as he blurted out his reasoning for intrusion.

"Owieee…" She gave a little whine as she rubbed her rear. "I was just startled by the knock…" She blushed a little as she realized her clothes were not working as they were intended, she kept her face lowered to hide her reddened face as she pulled the sleeves up a bit and rearranged, so her panties would not be exposed.

"You were taking a while…" He attempted to explain but paused as he gave her a sideways glance and was distracted by a purple color on her arm. "What is that?"

"Hm?" She looked to where his eyes were directed and let out a little gasp as she pulled up the sleeve to cover the bruise, she didn't want other people seeing it. "It's nothing…"

That made him frown as he knelt in front of her and pulled the kimono down off her shoulder, once more she did not resist him, nor did she look at him. "Who did this to you?"

"Please don't worry about it." She placed a hand over his and was shocked by how hot it felt. "Saka…"

"Cora…" He interrupted her sharply but took a deep breath to calm his building rage, it didn't take much to figure out where this mark came from. Law had a habit of grabbing her arm, so this most likely happened the same time he burned her… So, they both ended up hurting her like that pompous ass claimed, but he doubted that boy even realized it. "Do not hide things from me."

For some reason… it hurt to hear him say that. "I didn't mean to… I just don't want people to get upset over an accident…"

He sighed heavily and placed a hand on her head. "Whether it's an accident or not I want you to tell me. If you're sad or hurt, if someone upsets you, if you're happy… I want to know." He felt a little ridiculous saying such things, but it was true… He wanted to know about everything she felt.

"Saka-kun…" She leaned forward, wrapping her arms around his neck and burying her face into his chest. What he said just now… made her want to cry. "I promise… I won't hide anything from you."

His body tensed as she pressed herself against him, he doubted she noticed how exposed she was in the kimono she had yet to properly adorn and having her so close he could smell the scent of her hair. This moment was… pleasant. He expected to have some form of interruption, but no knock came to his door, no ringing from a transponder snail. There was nothing that attempted to ruin this moment and for that he was thankful.

Gently he touched the bare skin of her back and pulled her closer to him, wrapping her in a hug that seemed alien to him considering his lack of physical contact with people, but she reciprocated his embrace and he could feel the tender pressure of her own hold. He focused on the feel of her skin beneath his hand and committed this feeling to memory, admitting his own doubts that he would ever get to hold her like this again. "Stay with me." He blurted out those words before he realized what his mouth was doing, it was only supposed to be a wishful thought not an actual proposal.

Her heart gave a heavy thump at what he said, she leaned back a little to look at his face. It was as stoic as ever, but she thought that, maybe just a little, he looked… nervous. "You want me to stay on the base?"

He took a deep breath as he pulled her kimono closed that had become precariously open as she moved back from him, he didn't need any distractions at a time like this. "I want you to stay here…" He motioned to his home, there was no going back now. "With me. I would like to… continue to share meals with you…" That's not really what he wanted but it was the most he was willing to admit for the time being.

Now her heart was pounding so furiously it almost hurt, she never really expected him to extend such an invitation and what should she say? She did enjoy spending time with him and part of her would love to stay… not to mention she knew she would be able to find out more things about her sister here, maybe even help in finding her. Law always said the navy had access to all kinds of resources… but that would mean she wouldn't be able to keep traveling with Law… plus… "I… don't think I'm strong enough to be a marine."

"I'm not asking you to join the navy." He touched her face again. "I'm only asking that you stay with me…" He could see the turmoil in her face and a little part of him believed that she might even consider being with him. "You don't have to answer me now." That seemed to reassure her a little and he stood up and turned from her so not to risk peering at her while barely clothed. "I'll let you finish getting dressed and then we can discuss those pictures you drew." He'll give her time to make a decision, she'd only end up hating him if he forced it.

"Ah… alright." She gave a little nod as she pulled the kimono tighter around her, hugging herself as she chewed on her lip…what should she do? She barely heard the door close as her brain began to overwhelm her with thoughts. So much had happened in such a short amount of time between Doffy and Sakazuki that she could barely register it all… and she still needed to see Law after this… what should she tell him? Everything, of course, but how would he take it and what is he going to want? Well, that was a stupid question… she already knew he would want her to go back to living on the sub with him… she cared about Law so much but would staying with him be for the best?

Her heart ached more than it ever had before, she'd never been faced with so many choices or so many chances to upset people with a single decision…

What should she do?

 **To Be Continued…**

 **A/N: I decided to focus on just Cora & Akainu this time (which turned out much more innocent then her time with Doffy). As you can assume the next chapter will focus on her & Law then it will be time for the big decision! I hope you enjoyed this chapter and look forward to the next one **


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